A Mass Self Insert
by Bads25
Summary: Follow William May as he learns and adapts to the new reality he finds himself being thrown into. Will he survive the years to come and help save the galaxy? Or will the actions of his enemies cause the cycle of death to continue? NOTE: This is a Self Insert that takes place before and during the events of the first Mass Effect game. Rated M for Sexual themes and language.
1. The Fall

**_A Mass Self Insert_**

Hey, I feel like that's actually a clever title. Don't like it? Sue me.

Please don't sue me.

Anyway if the title doesn't give it away, this is a Mass Effect self-insert story. Never really done one before, so I hope that this one turns out better than I'm expecting it to. Now, the ONLY thing I'm going to be changing about myself and my other family members in this is our first names, and that's simply for privacy reasons. I don't like giving out my name and I haven't asked them, so I simply won't.

**PLEASE READ THIS NEXT PART!**

I realize that I haven't updated my other stories like I promised I would. I would like it to be clear that I fully intended to honor that promise, but with a combination of losing my account password, a computer crash, and a loss of my story, it became nearly impossible to actually get those stories to continue. As of this moment, I am working on them as much as I can, but until I feel like they are ready, don't expect an update on them. In their place, I will be posting this while I work on getting those stories back on track. **PLEASE NOTE THAT THEY ARE NOT ABANDONED, JUST ON A LONG HIATUS.**

Now, like all Mass Effect stories, I'll be starting on the first game. I have been reading a lot of mass effect stories on a friends account due to losing mine for a while, so I am really inspired to try my hand at it. Please know that if parts feel similar to another story, which is NOT my intention, feel free to let me know and I'll try my best at changing it.

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN MASS EFFECT OR THE DEATH CHARACTER THAT WILL BE APPEARING EVERY NOW AND AGAIN. Death is the one character I will be borrowing from "welcome to the family" by TheRev28. He was a great character and all credit for his character goes to him, not me.

Now, let's jump into the first chapter!

**CHAPTER 1**

**THE FALL**

"I STILL THINK THIS IS A HORIBLE IDEA!" I shouted to my brother over the roaring wind.

"QUIT BEING A BITCH! THIS WILL BE AWSOME!" he shouts back. "BESIDES, YOU'RE TURNING 21 THIS YEAR, SO HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY!"

"THIS IS YOUR IDEA OF A BIRTHDAY PRESENT?!" I exclaim as the vehicle were in bounces slightly. "THIS IS A HORIBLE IDEA!"

"THERES YOUR NEGETIVITY AGAIN!" He yells with a shit eating grin on his face. "BESIDES, YOU REALLY NEED TO GET OUT OF YOUR ROOM MORE. THIS IS ABOUT AS OUT AS YOU CAN GET!"

"BY JUMPING OUT OF A PERFECTLY FINE PLANE?" I complain. "FUCK YOU B! FUCK YOU!"

"OH SHUT UP WILL! NOW CHECK MY CHUTE FOR ME!"

If you haven't figured it out yet, my name is William. William May to be precise, and for some damn reason my brother has decided to take me skydiving. Naturally, being the gamer I've been my whole life, I thought this was a horrible idea, especially with my fear of FALLING. It's something I've always had ever since I was a kid. Never enjoyed rollercoasters, never went on those suicidal bungee jump things they have at amusement parks (or bungee jumping in general); hell a small hill at the right speed could make that fear come back up.

And here I am about to, mostly unwillingly, jump out of an airplane. Thanks bro. Thanks a fucking lot.

"YOU DO REALIZE I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IM CHECKING FOR, RIGHT?" I yell as I tighten up a lose strap on my brothers harness.

"YOU'RE DOING FINE!" He yells back. "LET ME CHECK YOURS."

I spread my arms and legs out, letting my brother check the straps on my suit. He and I have lived almost completely separate lives. He and his buddies are always out causing some sort of trouble, and I'm usually at home reading or playing games. He prefers having lots of friends, while I'm content with my small group.

And then there's our physical differences. Being 5 foot 7 inches; with wide shoulders, black hair that's kept short, I'm a decently large person to check over. Sure, I'm 200 pounds large, but other than my damn gut I'm pretty fit. My brother on the other hand, being the bastard he is, ended up being taller than me; 5 foot 9 or 10 inches. He has orange hair, which he got from our mom, and in currently trying to get down to 110 pounds before he graduates from high school.

I keep telling myself that I'd lose my damn gut if I was simply more active, because it's not like I ate like a slob at all. Sure, no salads or anything, but I don't go out and eat fast food every day either.

I'm getting of track, aren't I?

"ALRIGHT, LOOKS GOOD!" He says.

"REMIND ME AGAIN WHY I AGREED TO THIS!" I complain. I know exactly why I ended up where I am currently.

My family was on our spring break vacation to Florida. My grandparents have a place down there they go to during the winter and it's a hell of a lot better being there than freezing in Michigan. This was the first year I was able to head back down after starting collage two years ago, missing only a year due to finals for my classes. Since I got to come down, and since we were celebrating his birthday as well, he wanted to go skydiving.

Now, no one in my family has ever gone skydiving before, and I can't blame them. The whole concept is foolish. Who in their right mind would think that jumping out of a perfectly fine airplane would be a good idea? I mean sure, I get doing it in the military, it's a sound strategy, but it just doesn't make sense anywhere else.

Because my no one in my family actually wanted to go with my brother, and the place we went to refused to let only one person go for some stupid reason, my brother literally begged for someone to come with him.

There was no way my grandparents would do it. They were terrified of just the idea of him doing it! That left mom, dad, our uncle and his family, and me. Mom and dad quickly said no, and while my uncle's family has a kid right between the age of me and my brother, he said no as well. That left just me, and my parents immediately told me I had to go with him.

I know what you're thinking. 'Your 20 years old! You don't have to listen to them!' Well, you're right, but wrong as well. My parents are strict in the weirdest of ways. My brother will get yelled at for going out and doing stupid stuff all the time, but in the end they let him go back out and do it again. Me on the other hand? I didn't do shit, and actually get punished when I get into trouble. After 20 years of that, I learned it was better to just shut up and take the crappy hand I had been dealt.

So now here I am, standing near a door that was going to open up so that I could jump out of it. Yay life.

"HEY B!" I yelled to my brother, B being his nickname since we were kids, mine being Will.

"YEAH?"

"WHY THE HELL ISNT THERE A PROFESSIONAL JUMPING WITH US?"

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR THEM WHEN WE SIGNED UP?" I shook my head before he continued. "THEY WERE ALL INJURED FROM PREVIOUS FLIGHTS. THAT'S WHY THEY PUT US IN THESE PARICHUTES! THEY OPEN UP ON THEIR OWN, AND IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG THERES A BACKUP!"

"WE ARE GOING TO DIE UP HERE!" I yelled, trying to get some humor to calm my nerves. Sadly my catchphrase that I yell to my teammates in games didn't calm me down at all. Just then one of the workers stood up and opened the door we were supposed to jump out of and gave us the signal we were taught to look for. A simple thumbs up and a nod.

"WELL IF WERE GOING TO DIE," My brother yelled at me, "THEN YOUR GOING FIRST!"

And with that, he promptly shoved me out of the plane.

…

Cue screaming.

"YOU STUPID *********** IM GOING TO ******* RIP YOUR **** **** OFF AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR ******* *** YOU **** SUCKING ****!"

Use your imagination. Hehe.

Ok, so I'm falling. Not just any direction but I'm falling backwards. Which means I can see my brother jump out a second after me and start flipping me off. I swear to god that fucker is going to die one of the most horrific ways possible if I live through this.

I spread my arms and legs out to slow my decent and let my brother catch up to me. When he does, it takes me a bit to maneuver over to him so were falling right next to each other. Naturally, once he's in range, I hit him in the arm as hard as I could before maneuvering away from his retaliation strike. He's glaring at me now, but the fucker deserved it. I mean, who the hell pushes their brother out of a plane!?

It's only now that I realize I'm still falling backwards, so I tuck in on side of my arms and flip over before putting them back out. If I wasn't suppressing the clenching pain in my gut, I would have probably taken a moment to appreciate flipping myself over. I'd also appreciate this amazing view of the earth, slowing getting closer.

But I'm dealing with my fear of falling, so I can't.

My brother decides to tuck in his arms and shoot forward after giving me a look I know all too well. It's his race face, or at least that's what I call it. He gets it whenever he wants to race me, or someone, to whatever our destination had been. I mostly see it when him and I are driving separately and come upon a long straightaway.

'Yeah fuck that' I think to myself. 'I'm already falling. There's no way I'm going to give in and fall FASTER.'

**_YOU REALLY SHOULD_**.

Um…. What the hell was that? I look around for any signs of what I might have just heard, but there's nothing but open sky around me. Huh, well at least whatever that was let me forget about falling for a minute.

…

"DAMN IT!"

My brother was now getting smaller and smaller. Not surprising, since he probably wouldn't look back up to see if he was winning. The only surprising thing is the sudden appearance of a 747 jumbo jet.

Wait… WHY THE HELL IS THERE A FUCKING JET THERE?!

**_I TOLD YOU THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE WENT FASTER_****.**

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHY IS THERE A PLANE IN MY WAY?!" I yell at whatever is somehow talking to me.

**THERE IS NO NEED TO SHOUT. AS FOR YOUR QUESTIONS… YOU WILL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH.**

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!"

…

"FUCKER YOU GET BACK HERE AND TELL ME!"

…

"FUCK!" I yelled as the jet got too close for comfort before closing my eyes. Damn, I knew I my brother would be the death of me, but this was just st-

**_THUD_**

…

…

…

"What the hell?" I said, opening my eyes, only to find myself standing in a vast grey field of dirt with a white sky. "Wasn't I just skydiving before colliding into a jet that came out of nowhere?"

**_YES YOU WERE_****.**

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" I yell. Whatever this stupid voice was, it was quickly getting on my nerves.

**_TURN AROUND, AND SEE FOR YOURSELF_****.**

Doing so, I turn around only to come face to, um, chest I guess, with a tall dark robed figure with a scythe in its hands. Well, if that's not the grim fucking reaper then I don't know what is.

**_YOU ARE CORECT IN YOUR ASSUMPTION. I AM DEATH_****.**

Great. Death can hear my thoughts. Now he knows I find his voice, or rather his lack of one, annoying.

**_I AM SURPRISED YOU ARE TAKING THIS SO WELL._**

"Yeah well, that's mostly because I'm still PISSED OF THAT MY BROTHER FUCKING KILLED ME!" I yell at him. "OH AND, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE YOU STILL ARNT TELLING ME A DAMN THING!"

**_I DID PROMISE YOU ANSWERS. ASK AND I SHALL TELL YOU._**

"Alright." I say, trying to calm myself down. "First off, am I really dead?"

**_THAT ANSWER IS COMPLICATED. I WILL EXPLANE THAT MORE AFTER YOUR OTHER QUESTIONS._**

"Um, alright I guess. What was with that jet coming out of nowhere?"

**_THAT WAS MY DOING. I NEEDED YOU TO PREFORM A JOB OF SORTS. ONE THAT, UNFORTUNATLY, REQUIRED YOUR DEATH WELL BEFORE YOUR TIME._**

"So I am dead?"

**_IT IS COMPLICATED._**

"Right. So why the hell would you need me? And what do you mean well before my time?"

**_I NEED YOU FOR A JOB. AND YOU ARE NOT SUPOSE TO DIE UNTIL YOU ARE OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD._**

"Shit, I was supposed to live to be a hundred? Wow." I look around in bewilderment. "So where are we?"

**_THIS IS MY DOMAIN. IT IS RARE FOR MORTAL SOULS TO BE HERE._**

"This is your domain? I'd recommend a change in scenery. This place looks like shit." It takes a moment to realize who I'm talking to again. "No offence."

**_IT MATTERS NOT. DUE TO THE NATURE OF MY JOB I HARDLY EVER RESIDE HERE._**

"All work and no play. That must suck."

**_INDEED IT DOES._**

"Well, I think that's about all the question I had other than the ones you didn't answer." I say. "So we might as well get to those."

**_VERY WELL. I REQUIRE YOUR ASSISTANCE IN A DIFFERENT PLANE OF EXISTANCE. UNFORTUNATLY THAT MEANT YOU COULD NO LONGER EXIST IN YOUR PREVIOUS REALITY._**

"So it's kind of like I'm moving from one reality to another?"

**_NO. YOU ARE DEAD IN YOUR REALITY. IN THE ONE I WILL TAKE YOU TO, YOU WILL NOT BE DEAD._**

"So I can never return to my old reality?"

**_NOT IN THE WAY YOU WERE ABLE TO BEFORE, NO. _**

"Well that fucking sucks." There goes my hundred year life.

**_YOU ARE TAKING THIS FAR BETTER THAN I EXPECTED_****.**

"Well it's not every day you get to talk to death I guess. And you wouldn't have done this without a reason. Everything in earth history said that you were a pretty fair guy. You died when it was your time, and if it wasn't then you get to keep on living."

**_THAT IS CORRECT. I DO HAVE MY REASONS._**

"So what's this job? And what reality am I going to?"

**_IT IS A JOB YOU KNOW WELL, AND A REALITY THAT YOU HAVE KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME._**

"Well that's not fucking helpful." I mutter.

**_I APPOLOGIZE. I CAN NOT GIVE YOU ANY ADTIONAL INFORMATION OTHER THAN THAT. REST ASSURED, YOU WILL KNOW YOUR JOB WHEN YOU FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU ARE GOING._**

"Alright then. Do I have a history going into this place?"

**_YES._**

"Can you tell me?"

**_YES._**

"Will you?"

**_PERHAPS._**

"For the love of... Who would have thought Death has a horrible sense of humor."

**_I HAVE NO INTENT TO BE HUMEROUS. I AM MEARLY WEIGHING THE PROS AND CONS OF INFORMING YOU OF YOUR HISTORY._**

"Death." I say, getting as much steal in my voice as I can. "Tell me so I don't fuck up your damn job."

…

…

**…****_VERY WELL. WHEN ASKED, SIMPLY TALK ABOUT YOUR PREVIOUS PAST. AS TO HOW YOU GOT TO YOUR LOCATION, SAY THAT YOU WERE SKYDIVING._**

…

…

"WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF HISTORY IS THAT?! WHAT THE HELL COULD BE BAD ABOUT ME KNOWNING MY OWN HISTORY FROM MY OLD LIFE!?"

**_THAT WILL BE APPARENT WHEN YOU DISCOVER THE NAME OF THE UNIVERS YOU WILL SOON INHABIT._**

Let it be known that Death is an asshole.

**_I RESENT THAT._**

And a fucking annoying one at that.

**_I BELIEVE IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GO, BUT FIRST YOU MUST MAKE A DECISION. NUMBER ONE, OR NUMBER TWO._**

"Fuck it. Number two." I answer.

**_INTERESTING CHOICE. GOOD LUCK._**

"Hey wait, wha-" I start to say before I suddenly start falling again. "FUCK YOU DEATH! FUCK YOU!"

**_THUD!_**

"Ohhh, that wasn't pleasant at all." I groan. Apparently, death decided to just drop me long enough for my fear of falling to settle in before letting me land. And instead of letting me see, he just let me fall on my ass.

Groaning, I stand up and take my first look at the world I'll be living in from now on. At first it doesn't seem like much, quite a few grass covered hills with a few trees, which looked similar to a cross between a palm tree and a pine tree, scattered about, but nothing too strange. The sky was a mixture between a bright blue and an emerald green, and I honestly found it quite appealing.

I was wearing some sort of flexible over-suit that was pretty thin, yet had quite a bit of weight to it. It was colored in a sort of onyx black with a few light blue lines along some of the seams. To be honest it looked like some sort of armor, but I thought it was way too flexible to offer any sort of protection.

I reached around to my back when I felt some weight there and ended up detaching some sort of backpack. It didn't look like it opened up, at least from what I could see, but it defiantly had some weight to it. If I had to guess I'd say roughly ten or eleven pounds.

The thing that was really eating at me was that the suit and pack looked eerily familiar. I knew I had seen them somewhere, but I couldn't remember where and it was killing me.

"Well, I better start moving. Hopefully I can find some sort of town or something and try to figure out where I am." I muttered to myself. Lord knows there was no one else around to hear me.

"Hello?" A female voice said from behind me, almost causing me to jump and scream. "Is someone out there?"

"Can you help me?" I yelled as I turned around, trying to find the sound of the voice. "I'm a little lost."

"Stay where you are!" The voice yelled to me. At least I knew they were in front of me somewhere. "I don't know how you got out there but your standing in the middle of a minefield!"

"WHAT!?" I yelled. "WHY THE HELL IS THERE A MINEFIELD OUT HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!"

"This isn't the middle of nowhere! This is a System Alliance base!" The voice informed me. It sounded like she, whoever she was, was getting closer. "Why are you here?"

Well, I guess this is where I use Death's cover story. "I was skydiving and landed here! If I knew this was a bloody minefield I would have landed somewhere else!"

"You were SKYDIVING!?" she yelled. "YOU DO REALIZE THAT THAT'S BEEN ILEGAL SINCE THE 21ST CENTURY RIGHT?"

"If I did I probably wouldn't have landed in a minefield!"

"How do you… Just stay there. Ill disable the mines in a second." Phew. I guess I'll get to live. "And I WILL be taking you in as a threat to base security" Damn.

"Well at least I'll be alive!" I say, trying to make light of the situation. I hear a small snort, so I assume that whoever this is has at least a small sense of humor. The person finally starts walking over nearby hill and I get my first look at…

A really good looking girl in combat armor. If the rest of this universes girls look like this, then I think Death did me a huge favor! It was only after a second of admiring her that I noticed her gun.

More specifically, a Lancer from Mass Effect. How can I tell it's the lancer and not the avenger from the other two games? The damn rifle has the M7 logo on it, and that was only on the Lancers from the first game. The avengers were red, and in the following games they had an M8 on them.

My word I played that game way too much to actually know that. Well, at least I know why the armor looks so familiar.

"Sorry for dropping in on you like this, I'm William May." I say with a small chuckle and she lowers her weapon slightly. Wait, HOLY SHIT SHE HAD HER GUN POINTED AT ME AND I DIDN'T NOTICE.

"Why do I always end up with the ones who think their funny?" She mutters to herself. Oh right, dropping in, skydiving. Heh. I didn't even think of that. Good catch girl. "Turn around and place your hands behind your back. You're under arrest for trespassing in an Alliance military base."

"Yeah, like I said, sorry about that." I say as I turn around and comply with her request. Actually, it sounds more like a demand to me, but whatever. "I really didn't intend to land here."

"Regardless its illegal and you're in a high security area. I have to take you in." She says firmly.

"Aye aye mam." I say with a smile as I feel something go around my wrists. I steal a quick glance back to see a pair of hard-light handcuffs, and that alone is enough to set my mind into an utter nerdgasm. I'm about to make another joke when everything turns grey.

**_HOW ARE YOU SETTELING IN?_**

"Oh, hey death. I'm fine. Why are you here?" I say before I get a really bad thought. "Wait, were not going to die here in this minefield, right?"

**_RELAX. I AM MEARLY CHECKING IN ON YOU. IT WOULDN'T DO GOOD FOR ME TO JUST LEAVE YOU HERE TO YOURSELF._**

"Phew. I was worried there for a second. Oh, can you do me a favor?"

**_THAT DEPENDS ON THE FAVOR._**

"Well, since I don't really know the tech in this day and age, what with this being a game where I'm from, I was kind of hoping you could put that knowledge in my head. Just enough so I don't seem like a complete idiot when I don't know how to use things here and whatnot."

**_THAT IS REASONABLE. I ALSO CAME TO INFORM YOU OF YOUR DECISION EARLIER._**

"The number thing?" I ask as I feel a sudden flow of knowledge in my head. It… wasn't an unpleasant feeling. "I was wondering about that."

**_YES, THAT. THE CHOICE YOU MADE WAS BETWEEN ALTERING YOUR BODY OR LEAVING IT AS IT WAS, NOT THAT YOU HAD KNOWN THAT._**

"So which did I pick?" I ask, hoping that I get to change myself.

**_YOU PICKED THE FORMER, HOWEVER IT IS NOT IN THE WAY YOU THINK._**

"So I can't just lose this gut? Damn."

**_THAT WILL SIMPLY GO AWAY WITH TIME AND EXCERSIZE, AND WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM IN YOUR OLD LIFE. NO, THIS ALTERATION WILL GIVE YOU NATURAL BIOTICS._**

"Biotics!? Hell yeah!"

**_CALM YOURSELF. JUST BECAUSE YOUR BODY WILL BE ALTERED DOES NOT MEAN THEY WILL BE POWERFUL._**

"You're giving me shitty biotics? Thanks for getting my hopes up."

**_I DID NOT SAY THEY WOULD BE 'SHITTY' AS YOU PUT IT. WE WILL BE DECIDING THAT NOW._**

"How are we going to do that?"

**FIRST, YOU SHOULD PICK WHICH SKILLSET WOULD BE MOST APPLICABLE TO YOU.**

"Meaning… what, like Vanguard, Sentinel, or Adept?"

**CORRECT**

"Well that's a no brainer for me. Vanguard. I know its powers like the back of my hand with how often I played as one."

**VERY WELL. NOW WE WILL DECIDE HOW WELL YOU WILL MANAGE TO LEARN THE BASICS OF THAT CLASS**

"And how will we do that? Debate about it or something?"

**_NO. WITH THIS._**

At that, Death pulled out a six sided black dice, with the ones being skulls instead of just dots. Honestly, it's not surprising that death carries around random game components.

"What do I do with this?"

**_YOU ROLL IT._**

"No shit. I meant what will it do.

**_I ALREADY EXPLAINED THAT. WHEN YOU ROLE THAT, THE NUMBER IT LANDS ON WILL BE HOW WELL YOU MANAGE TO LEARN THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF THE VANGUARD CLASS._**

"I take it six is the strongest?"

**_THAT IS CORRECT._**

"Sweet. I get really strong warps then." I say as I gesture to where the die was, with a five proudly showing on top.

**_WHEN DID YOU… I CAN TELL YOU ARE GOING TO BE AN ANNOYANCE TO ME FOR QUITE SOME TIME._**

"You deserve it. I mean, you did kill be before my time." I say with a grin on my face.

**JUST PICK THE DIE BACK UP. THIS NEXT ROLL WILL DETERMIN HOW STRONG YOUR BIOTICS WILL BE. NO DOUBT YOU ALREADY REALIZE THIS, BUT THIS UNIVERSE'S BIOTICS ARE RANKED QUITE DIFFERENTLY THAN WHEN THIS WAS A GAME.**

"Yeah, but it is kinda similar to how the level system worked in the third game" I countered. "Just a bit more realistic."

**JUST ROLL THE DICE.**

"Jeez. No need to get grumpy."

**_I AM NOT 'GRUMPY.' I SIMPLY HAVE A SCHEDULE TO KEEP._**

I let out a huff of disbelief and rolled the die, but instead of landing on a side it somehow stood on one of its points perfectly.

"Great. Do I get a redo? This die is broken."

**IT IS NOT BROKEN. THIS MEARLY MEANS THAT YOUR BIOTIC POTENTIAL WILL BE DETERMINED BY HOW MUCH EFFORT YOU PUT INTO YOUR LEARNING AND PRACTICE.**

"Oh, that's not that bad then.

I was just happy I was getting biotics in the first place. This was going to be stupid fun… minus the whole inevitable Reaper invasion that was coming and could very likely kill me without much effort, plus whatever I had to fight along the way.

Well, that was more depressing than I thought it was supposed to be. Eh, whatever. Still happy about the biotics.

**_YOU CONTINUE TO SURPRISE ME._**

"Well, let's be real here, I have no clue what it is I'm actually supposed to do, but was just told that I'm going to be one of the strongest human biotics alive. Granted, that won't be much when compared to the Asari, or at least that's what some of that info you gave me is saying, but it's still something to look forward to!"

**_YOUR POSITIVE OUTLOOK IS SOMETHING I SINCERALLY HOPE YOU KEEP. NOW, ROLE THE DIE ONCE MORE. THIS WILL DETERMIN HOW CREATIVE YOU CAN BE WITH YOUR BIOTICS._**

"Creative? What does that mean?" I asked as I tossed the die without a second thought, and was pleasantly surprised by the four I received.

**_THAT IS FOR YOU TO FIND OUT. I HAVE GIVEN YOU ENOUGH ALREADY._**

"Yeah, yeah, you've been great to me Death." I say with a smile, before I realize something. "Hey, is my history actually real here?"

**_WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY REAL?_**

"Well you said to just act like my life had actually happened. I'm just wondering if I actually have relatives out there, or if things I've done have any actual weight to them."

**_AHH, A FAIR QUESTION. THE MAJORITY OF YOUR LIMITED ACHEVMENTS (Hey!) HAVE RETAINED THER MERIT. OBVOUSLY ANY GAMES OR MOVIES YOU HAVE WATCHED ARE NOW DATED, AS WELL AS MOST OF YOUR GENERATONS SLANG._**

"But those things happened, right?" I ask, just to be sure.

**_ABSOLUTLY. ALL I DID WHEN YOU WERE KILLED WAS BRING YOU TO A SIMMILAR TIMELINE AND ADVANCE YOU FURTHER INTO THE FUTRE._**

"A similar timeline? What's different?"

**_IN YOUR PREVIOUS REALITY, HUMANITY IS ALONE IN THE GALEXY._**

"Huh. That's depressing. Well I get to meet aliens in this reality, so that's more than what I can say about the rest of my old family."

**THAT IS ONLY IF YOU ARE ABLE TO NOT BE ARESTED.**

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean?" I ask, but Death is gone and color is slowly starting to return to the world. "Damn you Death!"

"What was that?" The girl asks, stumbling slightly as time resumes.

"What was what?" I ask.

"I don't know. Everything just felt… off."

Interesting. I should keep an eye on that. "The only thing that feels off to me is not knowing your name, miss…?"

"Sarah." She says, not offering up any indication if that was her last name or not.

"Well, Sarah, I can honestly say that while it is a pleasure to meet you, I wish we had met under better circumstances."

"I'll bet." She says with a small huff of a laugh. Damn, she is good looking.

"So…" I continue, trying to somehow get some information out of her with small talk. "How far to this base of yours?"

"About sixty miles. This is just a training ground. I have a transport nearby to get us there quicker." She states flatly.

"Thank god. I think I hit my head on a branch coming down, because I'm feeling kind of dizzy and really don't want to walk sixty miles."

"Great, now I'll get reprimanded for injuring a prisoner."

"But you didn't cause it." I state, confused on why she would get reprimanded.

"Yeah, but I did do this." A second later I felt my head land on the ground before everything went black.

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

**UNKNOWN TIME**

I jolted upright and immediately regretted it when I hit my head on something. Groaning in pain, I opened my eyes to see it was the top bunk of the bed I was laying on. Well, I guess that girl REALLY didn't like me, or I got so wasted I had a horrible, yet interesting dream.

A quick look around told me that it was the former.

I was in a small holding cell, just big enough to have a bed, a toilet, and a table with a chair, everything bolted to the ground. Even the damned toilet, which I quickly used. I don't know how long I was out, but I REALLY needed that.

After I finished my inspection of the cell, I promptly laid back down. If someone needed me, it was pretty obvious they would wake me up.

"PRISONER, STAND UP."

Damn it.

I do as instructed and stand, grumbling that they chose AFTER I had laid down to have me stand up. Like I didn't get enough of that from my own family. Seconds later, the door opens and in walks none other than Captain Anderson. Well, I know him as Captain Anderson, but he might not be a Captain yet.

"I'm Captain David Anderson." Screw it. Why do I even try? "I understand you were arrested as a threat to base security."

"Yeah… like I keep saying I'm sorry about that. If I had known there was a base out here I probably would have steered clear of it when I landed."

"Ah, a skydiver." Anderson said with a small smile. "A dying sport, what with the ban against it here on Earth."

Ah! So were on earth! Still a bit confused on where, mainly due to the pine/palm trees, but I'm on Earth!

"Yeah. I'd say it's a damn shame if I actually enjoyed the sport."

"Why do it if you don't enjoy it?" Anderson asked, clearly confused on why anyone would do something they dislike as a hobby.

"Two reasons. My brother, the bastard he is, made me do it just to try it out. The other reason is because I have a fear of falling that I'm trying to get rid of." I answered, getting a chuckle out of Anderson.

"Facing your fears head on. That's quite commendable." He said, his smile growing a bit wider. "Though it sounds like your brother is a real ass."

"Don't I know it? I've had to live with the bastard." I said with a laugh. "Although, he's probably worried about not getting any contact from me in… how long have I been here?"

"Nine days. Private Sarah, the one who found you, said you made a comment about hitting your head. Turns out you did, since you passed out not that long after the two of you started towards the base."

"That lying bitch!" Is what I wanted to say. I didn't, though. No need to possibly ruin that girl's military career. "Tell her I said thanks. Wasn't my idea to land in a minefield and she kept me alive."

"Your one crazy son of a bitch, making jokes about a minefield after what probably felt like a five minute nap!" Anderson said with a laugh. "You know, the Alliance could use someone like you. Got any fears of being shot at?"

"No more than the average person." I said with a small smirk. "And it doubles for being shot. Why, you recruiting?"

"Hell son, the Alliance is always recruiting. There's a lot of empty space between us and the rest of the galaxy. The more people we have out there, the less chance of something horrible getting to us."

"I'll be honest here captain, I'm surprised you're even offering." I said. "Wouldn't it make more sense to determine if I'm a threat first?"

"Are you a threat to the security of this base?"

"No."

"Well there you go." Anderson smirked. "Besides, we've had nine days to run background checks on you after we got your ID. Seems to me like you arriving here was just an accident."

"Well, I'd need to think about it, but I really do appreciate the offer." I said with a smile. "Can I have a day to think it over?"

"Not a problem. Follow me. We were going to transfer you to a different room today, so you might as well take it now that you're awake."

"I was wondering why I didn't get that room upgrade right away. I think I need to check my airline rewards."

"Ha. Let's get moving son."

I followed Anderson out of the cell and into a brightly lit corridor. There were several other officers and soldiers milling around, a few of them snapping into a salute as Anderson and I walked by them. The hallway was quite wide, and lead to a larger door at the end.

Anderson submitted his credentials to the computer before the door opened, revealing a staircase. When we reached the top, there were a lot more people, and everyone was moving around. If it wasn't for Anderson's unique appearance, and the fact that the man was six feet three inches tall, I would have lost track of him.

Mostly due to having a nerdgasim. In my defense; here I was, a young adult from the early 21st century, suddenly surrounded by technology much more advanced than anything I had ever seen outside of videogames. Don't you dare tell me you wouldn't be having one too!

We maneuvered our way through the base, going through several corridors, painfully slow elevators, and staircases before I actually got a view of the outside world. Specifically, a large window looking out towards a runway with a view of the ocean in the distance.

"Welcome to what use to be the Patrick Air Force base of the old United States Air Force. Now a-days it's officially called 'Alliance Marine Outpost Four-Seven-Nine,' but most of the people stationed here like to call it Patrick's Perch."

"Why do they call it that?"

"Because this is where one of the old orbital elevators is located. Every Alliance officer and soldier I've talked to since getting here swears the thing looks like an old pirate crow's nest, but I don't see it." Anderson huffed. "Apparently it's a tradition to climb the thing to a certain level where there's an overlook."

"Huh. Learn something new every day." I said. Orbital elevators? The only time I've heard of those is in Halo! What are they doing here?

"Let's hope you keep that attitude if you end up enlisting." Anderson said as he started walking. I quickly followed behind him, listening as he rattled on some random facts about the base. As much as I admired the man, the games didn't show how much he loved to talk about next to nothing. "Here is where you will be staying."

I snapped out of my 'I hear you but I'm not listening' daze and followed Anderson into a room. Inside, it looked a lot like Sheppard's holding area at the start of the third game. A bed, desk with a terminal, a few dressers and a nice wide window to view out of. There was another door inside that I assumed was a bathroom.

"Thanks Anderson." I said, before a thought left my mouth before I could even understand it. "Can you do me a big favor and get me a new Omni-tool? I think I lost mine after I landed."

"I'll have someone stop by with one later. For now, just relax and think things over. Someone will be up with something for you to eat shortly. I can't imagine how hungry you probably are."

At that my stomach growled loudly, causing us both to laugh. "I guess you better tell them to hurry. My stomach might escape and start eating anything."

"I'll tell them to rush the order. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some reports to file." I nodded in appreciation and he left, the door hissing as it closed behind him. I quickly jumped onto the bed, which simply felt AMAZING, and started to think.

My first thought ended up being about the damn Omni-tool and why I asked for one without even truly thinking about it. I ended up chalking that up to the info Death had given me about the tech here. Most Omni-tools outside of the military and politics had special bands that went on the user's wrist. The band in turn projected the Omni-tool's holographic interface and held the processor for the actual unit as well as the fabricator. Military Omni-tools were two parts.

The first part was actually implanted in the user's arm of choice. This allowed the soldier access to their Omni-tool 24/7, but it wasn't nearly as powerful. When they were in uniform or armor, the implant connected to build in processors to increase performance drastically, as well as gaining access to additional functions. Politicians wore similarly designed clothes that helped increase the performance of their Omni-tools.

Civilians could get implanted versions as well, but they were more expensive and did more or less the same as the bands depending on the brand. Most civilians simply used the bands simply to avoid having the implant surgery. Even in this day and age, people were still afraid of needles. Not that I'm criticizing those people, hell I'm one of them.

My thoughts then drifted to the big decision I had to make. It wasn't a hard one, I already planned on enlisting the instant I realized this was the Mass Effect universe. There's no way I'm just going to let Shepard do this on their own. I was just concerned on if I was ready for it.

The biggest thing holding me back was sadness. While I had adjusted quickly to what Death had told me, it was only now that I let it truly affect me. I knew I was going to miss a lot of my old life; my friends, my family, and especially my dog. It hurt me that I didn't get to say goodbye to them.

It hurt even more that the last thought I had of my brother was that I wanted to kill him. Sure, the bastard deserved it at the time, but in hind sight he was probably horrified by my death. I took a lot of crap from him and yet, because he was my brother, I defended him. Now, he was going to be without me to help protect him.

I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't hear the door open. It was only as I felt a hand on my shoulder that I returned to reality. Reacting on instinct, I jumped away from the person and got into my best fighter stance, which was basically what I had seen from MMA fighters on TV.

"Whoa there buddy. Not going to hurt ya." The woman said, and I visibly relaxed. "Sorry for startling you. I'm just here to drop off your food."

"Your fine. I should apologize for being so jumpy, miss…?"

"Shepard. Private Cassandra Shepard, at your service."

WAIT WHAT!? JUST HOW EARLY AM I TO THIS DAMN TIMELINE?!

"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" She nodded. "Some Captian just tried recruiting me. If its not too much, can you tell me why you joined?"

"Its fine, I don't mind." She says, walking over and leaning against the desk. "Short story or the long one?"

"Well, since I'm contemplating enlisting myself, why don't you give me the long one?"

"Alright. Well I was born here on Earth. I knew my parents, but not as well as I would have liked, since they were both in service. Spent my early year's groundside with a sort of foster home due to an illness that kept my bones from developing properly on space stations and ships."

"How the hell did you get that?" I interrupt. Mostly because it's sounding a lot like a mix between the earthborn and spacer backgrounds, which is really messing with my head.

"No idea. Even the doctors didn't know what caused it, though the odds of getting it were apparently one in a trillion. Anyway, after my body finished developing, I was medically cleared to go live with my parents at or near their postings. Ever since I saw Earth through the window of a freighter I had booked passage on I knew that I had to enlist. Then a couple months back, I did." She said with a smile. "Trust me, if you took the lift up the old elevator and saw the view from up there, you would enlist too."

"I'll take your word for it." I said with a smile. "It certainly sounds amazing."

"Breath taking really." Shepard said with an honest smile. After a few seconds she looked at me. "So what about you? Why are you thinking about enlisting?"

"Captain Anderson made an offer to me after my… less than graceful appearance." I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Let's just say that I did some skydiving, and landed in a minefield."

Suddenly, Shepard burst out laughing. It's honestly kind of cute, the way her laugh sounds just so… care free? It was like she didn't have the years of stress that being a ranking officer would bring. I could see why Kaidan would end up liking her.

As she laughs, much to my embarrassment, I get my first proper look at her. Like me, she's wearing the standard Alliance duty uniform. Her body, despite what she said about her development, is quite slender. It's not what it really looks like towards the start of the first game, but then again, if she's a private herself, then that's not for some time. What's surprising me is her face. The only thing you could customize besides skin color and make Shepard your own.

It looks like I'm dealing with a default Shepard.

When I looked more closely, however, I begin to notice small changes. Things like her eyes being a light yellow of all things, not as many freckles on her face, a much thinner neck, and most of all, her hair color. It's not the default red/orange that is iconic for the female Shepard look. Instead, it's a much more vibrant red, but not overpowering like some of the color options. It's just enough of an addition to stand out, but subtle enough that you could miss it.

Confusing, I know. How do you think I feel looking at it?

"So you're the guy that Sarah was talking about!" She said after regaining control of herself. "The one cracking jokes about 'dropping in' and 'if you want I'll try to drop by your house some night?'"

"I don't remember the last one, but yeah. That's me." I confirm, again much to my own embarrassment.

"Well, Sarah is known to exaggerate. What's your side of the story?"

"Landed in a minefield, cracked a lame joke that I didn't even realize I made, was dizzy from hitting my head, and then got knocked out by your friend." I say. "I kept that part from Anderson, so you tell her she owes me a beer."

"Will do." Shepard said with a smile and pushed up from the desk. "Well, I hope you do end up enlisting. Anderson knows potential when he sees it, and I have to agree with him."

"Coming from you, that's high praise" I reply, getting an odd look from her. "I assume you're here with Anderson?" She nodded. "Then he sees something in you as well, and I'm pretty sure you're going to be a legend someday."

"Who wants to be a legend? I just want to keep people safe." Shepard said with an honest smile. Well, looks like she's a heavy paragon. I can work with that. Most of my Shepard's were paragons except for Killer. Heh, he was literally out to get the highest body count possible. The STG squad and Kaidan on Virmire, the colonists on Feros, the guards and Rachni on Noveria, and that was just the main missions. I'm so glad I didn't end up with THAT Shepard.

"Well, I won't take up any more of your time, and I think my food is starting to get cold." I say with a smile before I put my arm out. "It was good meeting you Shepard. Hope we get to meet again."

"The pleasure was all mine. And don't worry about Sarah. You'll get your beer out of her." Shepard replied with a smile and shook my hand. "Maybe even more than one."

"Your damn right I will! No one knocks William May out without paying for it later. Even if it means enough drinks to knock me out again!"

"Hah! Well, I hope I'll see you later William!" Shepard said as she walked out the door, it closing with a hiss as she turned around and gave a quick wave.

I walk over to the desk where the terminal and my food are, and promptly sit in the chair before I start devouring my food. At first it looked like crap, but after the first bite (and another loud stomach growl) it tasted like the best meal on Earth. As I spun around and looked out the window, food in hand, I took a moment to relax.

"Huh. Even in the future, that sun looks the same as it used to." I mutter between bites, my thoughts drifting in every direction. "Yeah. I think that this is going to be one hell of an adventure."

By the time I realized there was something wrong, I was face first on the floor with no control of my body.

**ALLIANCE MARINE OUTPOST FOUR-SEVEN-NINE**

**UNKNOWN DATE AND TIME**

'Ok, this is getting annoying.' I thought to myself as I slowly tried to regain control of my body. Shortly after I had collapsed, the guy who was supposed to bring in my new Omni-tool found and took me to the med bay. By then I had blacked out for reasons unknown and only woke up about ten minutes ago, with STILL no control of my body. Currently, I was only able to curl my toes and move my arms slightly upward, but progress was progress.

The door to the med bay opened and a female nurse walked in. I tried to get her attention, but with next to no control over my body, that was quickly becoming a failing task. Finally, I had managed to move my arm just enough to knock over the stupid call button, sending it off my bed and onto the floor.

It was pretty funny watching the nurse jump from the sudden noise, and if I could have, I'd probably laugh my ass off. But instead I just laid there, only managing a half grin that I guarantee looked stupid.

After calming down from being startled, the nurse walked over to me and put an arm on my shoulder. "Mr. May, please don't try to move right now. We've run some tests and are currently waiting for the results, but early analysis indicates you are a very lucky man."

The look on my face must have been one of confusion, since the nurse started to explain some more. "Our records show that your family was downwind of an eezo leak while you were in the womb. Most people are perfectly fine with no effects, however there are those who are born with defects and a smaller percentage still who are born with biotics."

"Most children who are born with biotics show signs quite early, but your case is special. Once the tests come back we'll know a lot more, but our theory is that you developed an eezo node in your brain. As a side effect, your biotic potential had been suppressed until you hit your head during your… skydiving incident." She continued, trying to suppress a smile at the last part. Does EVERYONE know that now?!

"We believe that when you hit your head, the node shifted, and your body blacked out to recreate the connections from the eezo node to your brain. However, this caused a delayed temporary paralysis. Our best guest without the results of the test are that you'll have full function of your body inside of a day."

"How…. Am I…. Lucky?" I managed to croak out, though it sounded terrible. Almost like it wasn't my voice at all.

"Well, an eezo node in your brain isn't uncommon among biotics of other species, but there have only been a few documented cases among humans." She paused, clearly nervous about the next part, which worried me. "Each case ended up with the patient dying from a form of biotic cancer, or being permanently paralyzed. But we don't believe that's the case for you!"

"It most certainly is." A male voice came from the doorway. As he enters my field of vision, it's obvious he's a head nurse or something, simply from the way he's dressed. "All your tests came back negative. No signs of any biotic cancer and you should regain full control of your limbs by tomorrow morning."

"How….. Long w-…. was I…. out?" I ask.

"Coming up on four hours. Lucky for you there was no one else needing work done, so we were able to rush your tests." The man says. "I assume you are regaining some control of your body already. Just don't push yourself too hard, and you should be fine."

"Thanks… Doc."

"Just doing my job." He says with a smile and starts to walk over to a desk, but turn around. "One last thing. We would like to run a full body MRI on you to get a proper counting of your eezo nodes. You're certain to have a lot of them, since you've managed to keep that barrier up for a while now."

I looked down, or rather tried and eventually managed to, but I didn't see anything. No feint purple glow that was the telltale sign of biotics being used. It was only after a minute of staring that I could see the faintest purple outline around me. Not an impressive barrier by any means, but hey, I was probably doing this without implants, so score one in my book!

"You should feel proud about that barrier." The female nurse said, giving me a warm smile. "Most biotic users can't do much with their biotics without an amp or lots of training. You've been doing this unconsciously for the past two hours, with no training or amp. It's even strong enough to stop things from hitting you."

Seemingly to demonstrate this, she reached over and flicked my forehead. Well, she tried to, but instead of her finer connecting, a series of purple ripples appeared, coming from where she had flicked me.

Don't get me wrong, if I could I would probably be hitting myself to see how strong my barrier actually is right now. I just can't even lift my damn arm, let alone show how damn excited I am about this! Apparently the doctor and nurse got the idea of how happy I was when they saw my stupid grin and heard the heart rate monitor pick up the pace of its beeps.

"Heh, calm down now." The doctor said with a smile. "Concentrate on getting your movement back before you start thinking up all the way you're going to abuse your new biotics."

"Doctor, why did you have to say that?" The nurse complained when my smile grew larger as ideas started forming in my head. There was no way in hell that I was going to pass any of this up! "He needs to rest and recover, not bend the laws of reality with only hi-HEY!"

A small laugh escaped me as the nurses skirt fluttered up slightly. Unfortunately it wasn't that strong of a lift, but I was beyond happy. I didn't expect a damn thing to happen, and yet it did!

"Hmm, very basic biotic usage without training or hand gestures." Oh, right. I forgot that hand gestures were commonplace for the use of biotics. "Perhaps that has to do with the location of the brain eezo node. With your permission, I'd like to do a more thorough MRI on your head to see if there's a relation between where the node is located and your use of biotics without gestures."

I nodded what little I could but he got the message. By this point in the conversation I was getting really tired, but I had one last thing I wanted to say.

"Can you… pass… a message… for… me?" I asked, and the nurse nodded. "Tell Captain… Anderson… I….accept."

**OK so how do you all think I did? Honestly, I'm not too sure about it, but I figured you guys needed****SOMETHING****since my disappearance. And like I said at the top,****I AM CONTINUING THOSE STORIES.****I just need time to get back on track and get those stories back to where they were at. Until then, I'll be working on this.**

**And please, do tell me how I did. I enjoy the feedback.**

**So until next time, stay safe and have fun!**

**_UPDATE_**

**Hey everyone! Just in case you didn't read this in the latest chapter (Chapter 9 at the time of writing this) I've been busy with exams and holidays, so I haven't had much time to write. I will still be writing, but expect either longer breaks between chapters while I figure some things out, or updates to previous chapters like these. Not much done in this one, but I feel like it's defiantly an improvement over the original.**

**Anyway, have a great ****insert your religious holiday here ****and a happy new year!**


	2. Well, i didn't die

**ALRIGHT GUYS AND GALS, ITS TIME FOR CHAPTER TWO!**

**No major announcements, at least that I'm aware of, so let's just get on with the story!**

Regular dialog | 'inner thoughts'/ (Inner thoughts) | "Speech" | DEATH'S VOICE

**The first inner thoughts is used for regular in-head thoughts, the second is more in-head interruptions, just an FYI.**

**Chapter 2**

**Well, I didn't die.**

* * *

Honestly, I'm not sure if my current situation is a good thing or a bad thing. Since being discharged by the med bay, several interesting developments have come up, a few of them more surprising than others.

Starting with my enlistment, I apparently am being shipped to Brazil for basic training. That in itself isn't that strange. From what I've gathered from the extranet (Which is stupid hard to use!) Brazil is home one of the best training academies, the "N-school" or "villa" as it is sometimes called. Instead of going there, though, I'm actually attending the Macapá boot camp, the very same that Ashley Williams will end up attending if things don't change.

No, the strange part is that Shepard and I are going to be together. Same unit, same duty rotations, same training, same quarters, and even the same damn bunk! I knew I wanted to be close to her for when the Reapers show up, but I'll be damned if that isn't just a bit TOO convenient for my liking. Not that I was complaining… I have enough sense not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

The next surprise, which still has me confused, was Captain Anderson. Apparently, despite introducing himself as a Captain, he wasn't actually a Captain yet. After a brief conversation with Shepard, (Who had asked me to start calling her Cassandra or Cassie, saying she didn't like being called by her last name. Have fun with that one!) I learned that Anderson was actually a Staff Commander, and that he had been formally promoted, but the paperwork and ceremony had yet to actually be completed. By a technicality, he could call himself a Captain, but he was really just a Staff Commander.

Shortly after that confusion was cleared up, I learned about the actual service ranks from Cassandra, which lead me to my current continued confusion. The Alliance apparently uses a modified version of the ranking system that has been used for hundreds of years. Soldiers are classified into rank-and-file enlisted personnel, experienced non-commissioned officer (otherwise known as NCOs), and specially trained officers.

Supposedly, the divide between naval personal and ground forces (basically the marines since they're the only ground force you hear about in game) is small. Ground units are basically just a specialized branch of the fleet, a lot like fighter squadrons would be. The purpose of this came from the fact that it would be pointless to fight without orbital superiority. Without ships in the skies, it's kind of hard to keep a planet properly defended. Of course the marines, being the prideful and glorious bastards they are, decided to keep some of their traditional rank titles, such as Privates and Corporals instead of Servicemen and women.

The part that confused me was that there is no actual "Commander" title. There was Lieutenant Commander and Staff Commander, but no "Commander." What's more is that Captain and Major were basically the same rank, one being fleet and the other being marines respectively. The reason that confused me was because Major Alenko in the third game would technically outrank Shepard!

'Stupid Bioware, giving us a shitty ending and making problems like that come up.' I thought as I the shuttle I was currently sitting in hit some turbulence. 'Hopefully something like that doesn't happen in this reality.'

The shuttle I was currently in was a UT-45 Kodiak. A bulkier, not so well designed version of the UT-47 from the games, which well and truly flew like a damn brick, especially here in atmosphere.

"Were about twenty minutes out!" The pilot called out from the cockpit.

'Perfect. Plenty of time to return to my thoughts.' I thought, flicking my wrist to create a small biotic bubble in my hand. It had been roughly a week since I had been discharged from the med bay where my biotics were discovered. The doctor, who's name I later learned was Jackson, had complained about not having enough time to run all the tests he had wanted to, but was glad to hear that he would be receding all the credit for the discovery if anything from future tests could be used.

The initial MRI that Jackson had done mapped out the eezo nodes in my body. Everyone in the room, myself included, were surprised by how large the nodes were, and just how many of them there were. The normal amount of eezo nodes in a biotics body is roughly twenty to thirty, spread out throughout the body with the exception of the brain. After going over the data, I apparently had forty-seven, with the forty-eighth in my brain.

According to the scans, the node in my brain had, after hitting my head and dislodging it, ended up re-attaching nearly perfectly between the two halves of my brain. Under normal circumstances, this would make the person have no dominate brain hemisphere, allowing them to be ambidextrous, as well as several other benefits. Unfortunately, all that the node did to me was let me use biotics without the need of hand gestures.

I wasn't planning on complaining at all over that, though Jackson certainly was. Why, I had no idea, but I didn't really care either. I knew just learning how to use these biotics was going to be a challenge, let alone using them without gestures. The few human biotics (in comparison to other species) all had degrees of trouble in learning new biotic techniques outside of the basic ones. Some of the most talented could only use five or six abilities.

To give a comparison between Asari and Humans, the Asari could learn up towards twenty different biotic abilities through their lives. This was mostly due to their long lives, the Asari being able to live up towards a thousand years, and it was only those who trained continuously that reached that level.

Doctor Jackson, during my brief stay in his care and during the few tests and checkups, had brought in a biotic trainer. The man, whose name I never learned, was both surprised at how easily I had managed to grasp the basic concepts and eager to see just how far I could learn without an amp.

"Pretty impressive." Cassandras voice broke me from my thoughts. "Didn't know you were a biotic."

"Neither did I until the night we met." I said with a smile. "Maybe you're rubbing off on me."

Cassandra smirked and sent a small biotic throw at my shoulder. It wasn't a strong one by any means, and was the equivalent of a shove. The morning after I had agreed to enlisting, Anderson had come in with a tall stack of paperwork that I needed to sign. According to him (because I sure as hell didn't read them) they were basic wavers and enlistment papers, but that most of them were for my newfound biotics. As I was signing them, Anderson had ended up mentioning that Shepard was a biotic as well.

Apparently, Cassandra's mother had been an engineer during her pregnancy. This had let Shepard be born with (according to the military) light biotics. She would in no way be a vanguard or adept, biotic warriors that specialized in the use of biotics. If anything, it seemed like the scenario in the first mass effect game where, if you used an ability a certain amount of times, you unlocked it for any class. For example, I liked using lift in the games to keep targets in the air and out of cover, and after only my first play through, I was able to create a soldier who could use lift. From the sound if it, this was similar, but a bit more realistic. Someone with biotics in the military would try to milk that potential for all it was worth.

"How the hell did you… It was Anderson, wasn't it?" Casandra guessed, and got her reply in the form of a smirk from me. "Damn that man! Does he not know I like my private life to be private?"

"Oh please. You know I would have asked the instant you used yours in combat or training." I countered, and she gave me a sheepish look which made me laugh. "So how long have you been enlisted?"

"Not even a year." She said. "Enlisted on my 18th birthday, April 11."

"Shit, your only 18?" I asked, and she just smirked. "Didn't expect you to be younger than me!"

"What about you? When's your birthday?"

I brought up my Omni-tool, it had been 'installed' (as they liked to call it) after my enlistment had been confirmed, and checked the date. September 29th, 2172. Huh, so only a couple days then.

"It's in three days. Turning 21." I said, letting my surprise slip into my voice. "Didn't realize it was coming up that quick."

"Perfect! You can buy me a drink when were off duty!" Casandra said with an evil grin on her face.

"I thought that the Alliance let those who serve drink, regardless of age."

"Yeah? Doesn't mean you can't buy me one!" Another biotic 'shove' hit me, but this one was a lot stronger. Almost enough to knock me over.

"How about instead I get your friend to buy us one." I commented playfully while rubbing my shoulder in mock pain. "She owes me anyway."

Cassandra seemed to think on this for a minute before replying. "I think that would work, just as long as you buy me at least one."

"Christ, what is it with women wanting me to buy them drinks!" I muttered. Apparently too loud, since Cassandra took the moment to comment.

"Oh? You get plenty of attention from the ladies I assume?"

"Nope." I groaned before smirking. "Just friends that like to mooch off me. Looks like I found another."

"I resent that!" she huffed. "A single drink isn't mooching!"

"Yeah, but you're getting two out of me. That's mooching." I teased, making us both laugh.

"One minute out!" The pilot called out. Shit, twenty minutes up that quickly? All well, better grab my things, what little there is.

I reached down beneath my seat and pulled out my bag, a smaller version of the one that had been on my back when I landed in that minefield. Inside were all the possessions I had in the old one, minus the parachute that had refolded back into the bag. One data pad that had all my digital stuff on it (mostly games, from the brief look I had taken), my old phone that somehow came with me and was now **_BEYOND_** an antique, an actual hard copy of _The American Sniper_ (which I had yet to read apparently, due to the lack of folded page corners that I used to mark where I was); and an 'old fashion' black wallet with nothing but printed out pictures of my friends, a photo id, and a medical card.

I had been taken back by the photos. They were the exact same as the ones in my actual wallet, same size and everything. Not wasting any time I had checked to see if they were safe digitally, and they thankfully were. I wasn't planning on losing these any time soon, but if I did I wanted to be sure I could get them back. I had no idea if my friends were the same as they were back in my world, but I knew I would hardly be seeing any of them now that I was enlisted, which kind of relieved me.

It sounds horrible, but I preferred not to have any ties to people now. Despite what Death had told me, I had no way of knowing if I acted the same as the person who had been here before me did, if I had the same memories, the same likes and dislikes. It made me nervous, more nervous than when I had jumped out of a plane and died.

The shuttle vibrating shook me from my thoughts once again. There was a time and place for those thoughts, and it wasn't now. I threw the backpack over my shoulder as I stood up, Cassandra doing the same with a duffle bag. It figured she had more than I did, she probably had a chance to pack stuff.

"Welcome to the Macapá Recruit Training Depot. Have fun in hell!" The pilot announced, making me worry about just what I had agreed to. I pushed those thoughts out of my head, knowing I had a job to do, and I'd be damned if I wasn't going to do it.

Though, the thought of getting Death to pay me stayed in my mind. It showed with my wicked smile.

"He wasn't kidding you know." Cassandra spoke up and the shuttle doors opened and we stepped out onto the landing pad. "This is the same place that soldiers from all over the Alliance go to for N-school."

"Well then I think we need to make use of this fine opportunity to become the best we can be." I said, my grin only growing bigger. "First to become an N of any rank owes the other a beer?"

"Let's make it interesting then." She countered, and I quickly disliked her grin. I knew this would only end badly for me. "If one of us goes up a rank higher than the other, they owe the other a beer."

"So when I keep beating you for promotions, I also earn drinks?" I teased, knowing I was doomed. "Sounds like I arrived in paradise."

* * *

**MACAPÁ RECRUIT TRANING DEPOT, EARTH**

**SEPTEMBER 29****TH****, 2172**

I flopped on my bed, if it could even be called that, and immediately fell in love with it. I had known day one, in any military, was always the worst. They wanted to get rid of those who didn't truly want to be there, those who weren't ready to be there, and those who just flat out didn't belong there.

After meeting our DI (drill instructor), one Gunnery Chief Ellison, I had quickly realized that I was all three of those wrapped up into one. I was out of shape, VERY unsure if I actually wanted to be here, and pretty damn sure that I didn't belong here.

"Awe, tired already?" Cassandra teased. It was getting easier not thinking of her as just Commander Shepard, the hero of the Citadel and whatever military profile she'll end up with, though I'll probably change that after Eden Prime happens. "Just so you know, if you drop out, I still get my beers off of you for every rank I go up."

"I'm not dropping out." I groan through my pillow. "I just wish I knew what I was getting into better."

"I'll admit that the DI was a bit rough, at least his vocabulary is colorful in a good way." Oh lord is that true. If you thought it was funny in the game when Ashley and Shepard talk about Gunny Ellison use of words like "evangel" and "whatever it was that Ashley said (I think it started with a p)", well it's a hell of a lot funnier, and more confusing, in person. I honestly don't think I've heard half of the words that man used, and I consider myself to be at least slightly above average when it comes to strange sounding words.

"Aint that the truth." I chuckled. "I couldn't understand half of what that man said, but somehow his message was crystal clear."

"Well I think I'll leave you at that." She said, grabbing some toiletries from her footlocker. "Unless you plan on joining me. I think you need it, what with the way you smell right now."

"But the bed is so comfy" I groaned, only to let out a grunt of pain as Cassandra kicked the bottom of the bed right where my groin was. "What was that for?"

"I'm not letting my bunkmate smell like BO." She said with a sadistic smile. "And I wanted to see how many octaves I could raise your voice."

"Good lord you're a bitch." I muttered as I continued lying down, only to quickly scramble up when she threatened to keep kicking. "I'm up! I'm up! My word you're a slave driver."

"That's mistress to you." She was enjoying herself. Great. "Now let's go. I don't want to smell you any longer than I have to."

Not wanting to risk her wrath, I quickly grabbed the toiletries that had been provided and followed close behind her. In fact, I was so worried about her injuring me and so worn out that I ended up not caring that there was a lack of shower curtains.

I had realized before coming that I was going to end up in communal showering. It wasn't something that I was looking forward to in any regard. Sure, girls in a shower, but all the people here after the first day are committed to learning how to kill anyone who messes with them. I wasn't eager to get on some girls shit-list just because of some wandering eyes.

And don't you think for a second it's because I felt inadequate! I feel perfectly fine about myself besides being out of shape, but that was going to change here anyway! No, the reason I wasn't looking forward to this was mostly because of Cassandra.

I knew her as a person, yet also as a videogame character that could romance just about anyone. Just by being here I was probably screwing over the plot in countless different ways. If I somehow became a love interest, especially to her since I knew what she would be going through, well that would just be hard on me and awkward if she found out. I had originally planned on just showering after her.

But when a woman is threatening to kick your groin, AFTER already doing so, you don't say no. I just hoped that this didn't become a regular occurrence.

* * *

**MACAPÁ PUBLIC TRANSIT SKYCAR, EARTH**

**OCTOBER 2****ND****, 2172**

Three days. Today was only three days in and I already felt both dead and alive at the same time. So far our days had been nothing but nonstop physical training. Understandable, but not something I was actually enjoyed doing for fifteen hours a day. Then there was the two hours of actual weapons training, which was a nice breather alongside the meals, and a six hour rest before it all started over again.

Tonight, however, was going to be different. Despite being only three days into training, our unit was showing a lot of promise, and had been given the night off along with half of the next day. I had a feeling it was a bit more than just us doing better than expected, however. The chief, from what I had heard from other units, almost never did something like this unless he was needed elsewhere. What it was about, I had no clue, and I certainly wasn't going to complain about the sudden break.

Instead, I would be complaining about how bad of a hangover I would have in the morning, or how sore I would be from whatever trouble Cassandra and the gang were plotting. It had been obvious after the Chief had told us we were free to leave the base that they were planning something.

I kind of felt bad about not being in their little group. I assumed it was mostly because after training, and a shower with Cassandra (She was still threatening me), I would usually fall right asleep. Unfortunately, this meant that I hadn't really bonded with the rest of the unit.

To be fair, there were a couple dozen in the unit, but each group was separated into smaller fire teams during training. Each team had six members in it, consisting of any combination of gender and ethnic background. My team was one of few that actually had their bunks near each other due to a logistical mess up, which only made me feel worse about not knowing them as well as I should have, but at least I knew a little about them.

Jayce was the first to come to mind. Tall, Caucasian, British surprisingly, already well built, and blond hair that looked longer than what the regs allowed, but every time the instructors had checked, it was just at the limit allowed. The man was a natural born leader, but it was clear he wasn't up to Cassandra's level. He had quickly, and happily I might add, taken the roll of the groups second in command. I didn't really blame him for that, there's no way I would want to be the one in command. From what I had seen, Jayce had a bit of a serious streak covered by humor. One minute he could be yelling at someone for their mistake, then be laughing about a joke he had told.

Lilly was the next to come to mind. She was short, also Caucasian but with some Asian features and dark brown hair. Despite looking like a twig, the was the biggest scrapper out of the group, quickly picking semi-friendly fights that barely passed as sparing the way she dropped her opponent. That said, she was also the kindest of the group. If I didn't know better, and not want to be beaten to a pulp, I'd say she was bipolar. One minute she's a whirlwind of fists coming from every direction, the next she's in overprotective mother mode worried that the smallest cut will get you infected.

After Lilly was Johnson. I swear to god, this man HAD to have been pulled strait from Halo, because he fit the profile of Sergeant Johnson perfectly. Dark skin, gruff voice, crude sense of humor, inspiring and evil as hell but loyal to a fault. Hell, the two even SOUNDED familiar. Unfortunately, I had to go and say something to him about it. Turns out, Halo actually was a game that had a HUGE pickup after Halo 5 was released and came out with more games than Final Fantasy did, and Johnson had played them all. He knew, and was ACTUALLY TRYING to act like Sergeant Johnson. Well, he was doing a damn good job of it in my book.

Up next was Markov. Just like the name sounds, the man was from what use to be Russia. White skin, bald (and I mean old man liver spots on his head bald), and as big as a bear. So far, the running joke was to use Markov in what was called Operation Meat Shield so that the rest of us could have mobile cover. Markov laughed at the joke and then, to quote him directly, said: "I like having many weapons. Stay close little ones. I can use you like clubs!"

The last members of the squad were Cassandra and I, and it felt like the two of us were inseparable. Not that I necessarily enjoyed it, what with the groin threats and all, but I wasn't complaining either. She was hands down the best shot in the group and the only other one with biotics besides me. When we were running through the obstacle course, she had slowed herself down so that the rest of us (mostly me, to my embarrassment) could catch up. She wasn't idle during that time though, and it showed. As soon as we were together, she was already giving orders on how to clear the next obstacle, and giving us other options if her original plan didn't work. She was clearly leader material.

And now all of us were jammed into a skycar, flying towards the nearest bar. With how odd of a bunch we were, I knew this night was going to be hell. I just wish I knew if it was going to be hell for us or for others. We hadn't even landed and I was already thinking of damage control.

"So Markov, why did you enlist?" Lilly asked from the back seat. Six people in a skycar meant it was cramped, so we put the two biggest people up front. Jayce and Markov. I was sandwiched between the door to my left, Jayce's chair to the front, and Cassandra to the right. Why Cassandra was always around me, I didn't know and was almost afraid to ask, but at least she smelled nice. Well, as nice as generic soap can make you smell, but it was a lot more pleasant than how we usually smelled.

"I join for simple reason." He answered. "I enjoy fighting. I join so I can find biggest fight I can."

"Be careful tonight gov'na. Don't want ya to wake up without a liver somewhere across the pond." Jayce commented with a smirk, his voice heavily accented.

"Damn it son." Johnson complained. "We all know you don't sound like that. Knock it off."

"You're just mad I'm going to get more girls with that accent than you will with your crappy game character voice!" Jayce teased, his smirk now a full blown grin. Not that I could see it, but you could tell just from the sound of his voice.

"Oh, I know what the ladies like." Johnson replied in a smooth, almost suggestive tone.

"And what might that be?" Lilly asked, rejoining the conversation. 'Don't be a fool Johnson. Don't walk into that trap' I thought.

"They love the smell of green." He said with a smirk, continuing his quotation from Halo. When everyone was confused he pulled out, much to my surprise, a wad of green dollar bills.

"Is it not impossible to smell colors? Or did you fall and hit your head?" Markov joked, not seeing the paper currency.

"No you big ape! This!" He shoved the money in Markov's face. "Women love a man with money!"

"To bad all you have is old currency that's not worth anything anymore." Jayce teased. Lilly was too busy laughing to care about the trap she had been setting.

"What about you two? Got anything funny to add?" Johnson said to Cassandra and me.

"Just that you are all horrible people." Cassandra said with a smile. "It's not polite to pick on the poor man."

"See if I help you out of a fight." Johnson grumbled. "What about you Will?"

"I think I'll stay out of this one." I said, putting my hands up in mock surrender. "I still trying to wrap my head around Gunny's vocabulary. Maybe next time I'll add to the verbal beating you just took."

"I thought we were friends!" he complained.

"We are friends." Cassandra said, nudging my ribs with her elbow.

"We just enjoy busting each other down a peg. It helps that you set yourself up for us." I said, getting Cassandra's hint. "For that, we say thank you."

"Well there goes the round I was buying for all of you." Johnson smirked. In the chaos that ensued, I was happy that we managed to only hit three old streetlamps. When the skycar finally landed and opened up, I jumped out and kissed the ground.

"Very funny." Jayce groaned, clearly annoyed at how badly he had driven and the crap we had been giving him. "OH NOT YOU GUYS TOO!"

I turned around to see everyone else, even Markov, doing the same thing. I tried to fight my laughter, I really did… ok so I didn't try at all, but that was damn funny! Seeing Markov alone doing it nearly made me lose my breath. The man was probably the toughest among us, and even he was terrified by Jayce's driving.

* * *

The club we had arrived at apparently didn't have a name. Despite being open for business, and having a liquor license, they had yet to choose a name for the place. It had gotten so popular among the soldiers back at the training depot that they had started calling the place 'Blank.' I thought it was a clever name, especially since the club had a reputation for not having a name.

What really surprised me was the music as we walked in. Tonight, it seemed, was a throwback night where they select a period of music and blare the best hits from that time. I was really starting to think the universe was trying to help me transition, not that I wanted the help. To be honest, I just wanted to try the new liquor that was available and lose myself in the beat of the semi-crappy semi-good techno that normally blared in any bar in the games.

The group split up, having already agreed upon meeting back up after an hour or so. I walked up to the bar, not interested in the dancefloor at all. The bartender, at least the one on this end of the bar, was surprisingly Batarian. It took me a second not to want to shoot him on sight, the only Batarians in game being gang members, slavers, a bartender that tries to poison you… you get my drift.

"What'll it be?" He asked, his voice tired, but not unfriendly.

"Honestly, no clue. First time here. What's popular?"

"Depends on your tastes. We have mostly Human beer, but also a good variety of Asari drinks as well as some dextro drinks. Don't drink those, for obvious reasons."

"What do Asari drinks taste like?" I asked, not being a fan of actual beer. I liked the stuff that tastes good, AND can get you drunk.

"Mostly fruity, but don't mistake them. Their likely to put your ass on the ground quicker than Human moonshine."

"Well, I don't know any names of Asari drinks, so surprise me." I said with a smile. "But go easy on me. I don't know how long I'm going to be here."

"I have just the thing for you." He said with what I assumed was the equivalent of a Batarian smile before walking off. After a minute, he came back with a tall glass of purple liquid.

"Its… purple?"

"What else would you expect from the Asari?" The bartender said with an amused shrug.

"That is a good point my friend." I said, taking a sip. Immediately my taste buds were assaulted by a mixture of strawberry, pineapple, mango, and a hit of something I couldn't place all mixed into one and chilled to the perfect temperature while still keeping the alcohols kick.

"I think I'm in love." I mutter as I take another drink. The bartender just laughs. "What's this called?"

"Thessian Temple. Supposedly its one of the milder Asari drinks, but we Batarians have a lower tolerance than other species."

"Really? How big of a difference?" I ask. This isn't something said in the games, so I'm curious.

"Not much for the lighter stuff, but for heavier drinks we usually end up drunk when you humans are getting 'buzzed' as you call it."

"Does that mean Batarian alcohol would be considered light drinks? Or do you still have heavy hitting stuff?"

"The most potent drink I can think of is uncut Batarian ale, and it's illegal anywhere outside the Hegemony."

"Right. Remind me not to try that then." I chuckle before noticing a certain redhead walking towards me. "Wish me luck."

"What?"

"WILL!" Cassandra yelled, jumping onto my back in a hug. Already I could smell the alcohol on her breath.

"Shepard how the hell are you already drunk! We just got here!" I complained.

"That guy overthere challenged me to a drinking contest. I won!" she proclaimed proudly before pointing. When the bartender and I looked over, we were surprised to see a Krogan passed out in one of the booths.

"Wait, you out drank a KROGAN in less time than it took me to order my own drink?" I asked in awe. "What the hell were you two drinking?!"

"RYNCOL!" she said happily as I looked at the bartender.

"Can I put her somewhere so she doesn't kill herself or others?" I asked. The bartender laughed until he noticed I wasn't.

"Shit, your serious aren't you? Alright. I have a place. Follow me."

I hoisted Cassandra onto my back, getting some confused and annoyed glances from the other patrons. Mostly from her yells about getting a piggyback ride and the airplane noises she was making. After following the bartender through a few doors we came to a door that looked a lot sturdier.

"This is it. Normally this room only gets used by that Krogan your friend outdrank. If it can hold him, it can hold her."

"Thanks. We owe you one. Can you let anyone who's asking for a Cassandra Shepard or William May to come back here? There the other members of our team."

"No problem, hell I should be owing you. That Krogan normally causes trouble every time he's in here. With him passed out, we might have ten fewer bar fights tonight. There's some cups and a sink in the bathroom. Should help flush her system if she drinks some water."

I walked in with Cassandra on by back still and let the door behind us shut. I promptly saw a bed and laid Cassandra down on it and went to fill a glass of water for her to drink. When I came back, however, I was utterly surprised by what I saw.

Cassandra. No clothes. Lying on the bed.

I immediately turned around and went back into the bathroom.

"Where are you going?!" she yelled.

"Well, I have no idea why you're naked, so I was giving you some privacy!" I yelled back form the bathroom.

"You realize I'm doing this for you, right?"

"YOU'RE WHAT!?"

"Well… Today's your birthday right?"

"Yeah?"

"I told the team… and they thought that… since you and I get along so well… and that since were always together… that we could…"

At this point I walked out. She looked like a mixture between confused, happy, worried, and scared with a lot of drunk thrown in for good measure. Without stopping I put my arms around her and hugged her.

"W-Will, what are you doing?" she asked.

"That's obvious. I'm hugging you." I said simply.

"Then… your…"

"No."

"No?" she pulled back and looked at my face.

"No. But not for the reasons you think."

"Then why?" She asked, relief flooding through her clear as day, but also sorrow. A single tear made a break down her face and I whipped it away gently.

"It's complicated, and I'd rather tell you when you're not drunk." I said with a smile. "But mostly, it's just because I'm not looking for a one night stand. I'm a one person type of guy."

"So you do like me?" God, why did her voice have to sound hopeful?

"Right now, as a friend. But who knows what might happen in the future." I said, still smiling. Inside I was torn. On one hand, I had the whole 'she's going to die and you won't tell her' thing going on in my head, but on the other I couldn't deny that she was attractive. "Let's get you dressed ok? You're already shivering."

She nodded and sniffled lightly, and damn if my heart didn't break a little from hearing it. I didn't like what I had said, but it was better than saying yes. 'Yeah. Instead you get you keep her hopes up and crush them again.'

God damn I feel like the biggest asshole in the universe.

Cassandra had put her clothes back on and was now sitting on the bed next to me, leaning up against my shoulder. I put my arm around her and pulled her back into a hug. I'll be damned if I was going to just let her cry next to me and not do anything about it.

"This must be really awkward for you." She murmured. "I know it is for me."

I laughed lightly at that. "Now, what could have made this awkward? At least Markov isn't in here in his skivvies. THAT would be awkward."

To my relief, she laughed at that. A bit more than I expected, but the alcohol was probably helping with that. "No, not that. This was all supposed to be for your birthday. We go out, get some drinks, get wasted, have some fun, then end the night with some bad decisions before getting a cab back to base."

"Well, there's no reason we can't still do that." I said. "We'll probably have to bar hop though. With you out drinking a Krogan, I don't think they're going to give you anything else to drink."

"Yeah… I only had a sip… Ryncol is horrible."

"But… how did the Krogan… and you… WHAT?"

"I MAY have spiked his drink…" she said sheepishly.

"Thank fucking god. If you REALLY had out drank him that quickly, we probably would need your stomach pumped. Twice if we had continued." I said, my voice full of relief.

"You're not mad?"

"You said this was a birthday gift?" She nodded. "Then no, I'm not mad. You were thinking of making my twenty first birthday memorable. I can't be mad at you for that. As for being fake drunk and trying to seduce me, well I can easily see that as the Jayce and Lilly's plan more than yours."

"Well I do like you…" She almost whispered.

"I know. You wouldn't have done this otherwise." I said, keeping my voice calm while pulling her closer. "It's just like what I said though. For now, you're my best friend in this hellhole of a situation called boot camp. In the future… who knows?"

"Yeah." She said, burying herself closer to me. "Still, is it wrong of me to what this?"

"No. Everyone deserves happiness. It doesn't matter where or who you find it in."

"That's nice. Where did you hear that?"

'Kelly Chambers, more or less.' "I don't remember. I always liked it though. It fits so many situations. Besides, this is so much better than my last birthday present."

"What was that?"

"I went skydiving…"

"Pfft." She laughed. "You did that for your birthday?"

"It was my brother's idea, ok? He had paid for everything, I just had to go and do it." I defended myself. "Besides, it's not my fault I landed in a goddamn minefield."

"Well I'm glad you're having fun. Wait, don't tell me you've done this to other girls." Yikes. Time to get going.

"Well, let's get back out there and make bad choices, yeah?" I say, standing up.

"Will, answer the question." Crap, she's getting angry.

"Only if you can answer mine." I say seriously.

"Ask."

"How do we get out of here?"

There was no door handle, no switch to open it, no lever to open a hidden passage, not even a damn trap door.

"… that doesn't count."

"Can we please discuss this after we've escaped the room with no exits?" I say somewhat frustrated, and regret it when she recoils. "Sorry. Not frustrated at you at all. Just at myself for getting us into this situation and being unable to get us out."

"_Don't tell me she's already sober. That's just not possible_." The bartender's voice rang through the room.

"Nope! She was never drunk! Just ended up playing a trick on me."

"_Alright. I'll get the door_."

"You're not going to tell him what really happened?" Cassandra asked after a few seconds.

"Well, if you want to tell him, you can go right ahead. I didn't want to embarrass you by saying it."

"NO, no, it's fine." She said quickly, a light blush coming over her face. "But… before we get let out…"

"Wha-?" The full force of her lips pressed against mine unexpectedly, and a second later they were gone. "W… What was that for?"

"Well, I still wanted to give you something for your birthday… Something only I could give while still being… personal." She said shyly. Wait…

"Then that was…"

"My first." She rubbed her arm nervously.

My mind was officially fried. Why the hell was she acting this way? She hadn't once acted like this during the time I've known her, and even in the games she was always confident, never a cute, babbling nervous wreck. Hell, I didn't even know what she saw in me!

"For what its worth… that was mine as well." I said as the door opened from the outside, giving me an escape from the confusion that was surrounding… well EVERYTHING.

"Alright you two, your seven minutes in heaven are up!" Oh god. Now I have to deal with this.

"Screw you Jayce!" I yelled at him. "What made you guys think you should pressure her into doing this?"

"She just wouldn't shut up about you!" Jayce countered.

"Yeah. Every time you two weren't together, you're all she would talk about." Lilly added.

"I know what the ladies like, and this one like you." Johnson commented.

"I came for drinking. I knew nothing of this." Well, at least it wasn't eve-

"Bullshit Markov. You wanted this to happen just like us!" Damn it Markov!

"Well sorry to burst your guys bubble, but nothing happened." Cassandra spoke up. "Well, not nothing, but not anything like what we planned."

"You are all horrible." I said, doing my best to look angry at them all. It didn't last long. "And I wouldn't want to be friends with anyone else."

"Can we please just go back to drinking? I kinda want to forget this ever happened." Cassandra said, clearly embarrassed.

"Sorry Shep. But that won't be happening for a LONG time." I said, putting my arm around her before everyone else started to tease her. I saw she was still embarrassed, but as we walked back into the club, I noticed a small smile spread across her lips. Without saying a word, I squeezed my hand on her shoulder. 'Things are going to be ok.'

* * *

**MACAPÁ RECRUIT TRANING DEPOT, EARTH**

**OCTOBER 3****RD****, 2172**

'Things actually turned out ok for once!' I thought before I felt someone in my bunk with me. Fear taking over my entire body, I slowly looked to my right, only to find Markov. I was relived, but a single thought broke that almost immediately. 'WHY IS MARKOV IN MY BED?'

I quickly jumped out of the bunk, not caring if I was clothed or not…. On second thought, I DO care if I was clothed or not. Thankfully, I felt the familiar tug of my off-duty uniform that I had worn to the club last night. After quickly discovering that I had been in Markov's bed instead of him being in mine, I quickly checked the time. 0500, or 5:00 AM.

'Ok… I don't remember anything after a couple of drinks, yet I don't have a hangover… which means I was either knocked out or drugged.' I thought, making my way over to my bunk. 'I can rule out being knocked out, I'd feel some pain from that no matter what, so that means I was drugged. Great.'

I reached my bunk, only to find Cassandra sleeping soundly in it. 'Right. There was that also… Well, I'm an early riser anyway, might as well get ready for the day.'

I grabbed my toiletries and quickly showered. Being the first one up meant I got access to actual hot water, and every time Cassandra got me up and through the showers there was normally none left. Just because I had access to all the hot water doesn't mean I was going to use it all up.

After getting into clean clothes, I went to the hospital. I say hospital instead of med bay because it was just that, a full on hospital. This place apparently had so many injured they had required a full on hospital to take care of those who ended up injured. I liked to imagine that the team, at least when they woke up, would be wishing they were at the hospital.

I was going simply because I WASN'T hung over, which had me VERY confused. If I had drank as much as them, I should be hung over. If I was drugged, I wanted to know what it had been. I could safely rule out being knocked out, simply due to there being no wound or bruising when I washed my head.

I walked in to find that the staff weren't as busy as I thought they would be. Then again, most the base should still be sleeping, the wake up time being at 0630. Needless to say, the staff were surprised to see someone walking in this early, and a nurse walked up to me almost immediately.

"What brings you here so early?" she asked, sounding every bit as surprised as she looked.

"I'm part of Gunny Ellison's unit, and last night we were told we had the night and half of today off." I explained.

"Ahh. Got up early to get the hangover cure? Smart."

"Actually just the opposite. I woke up without a hangover, and if my shaky memory is any testament I drank just as much as the rest of my team."

"Strange. Follow me please."

* * *

**ONE HOUR LATER**

Well, I doubt that could have ended up any better than it did. Turns out that my biotic amp, an L2 surprisingly, had been overclocked. That caused a whole bunch of stuff with my nerves, and some other scientific stuff that went over my head quite quickly, I didn't really pay attention. All I got out of it was that my biotic amp was like Jack's, letting me be able to drink as much as I wanted without a hangover.

Well, that and the knowledge I got implanted with an L2 amp. Turns out that mine got installed almost perfectly, the only problem being the overclocking. I was certainly glad I wouldn't be crippled like some biotics, and that I won't end up with crippling migraines like Kaidan Alenko.

However, being the gentleman I am, I grabbed some of the hangover cure for my team. I knew the rest of our unit, but nowhere near as well as I knew my team. We had bonded a lot overnight, especially Cassandra and me.

I still was worried about that. We really shouldn't have a relationship, especially with what I knew would end up happening. More specifically, knew what would happen to her. I really didn't want her to be emotionally attached to me, end up dying and be brought back to life, only to find out that I knew it was going to happen.

At best, she would realize I had information on what we were facing and I could keep others safe. At worst, she would kick me off the mission and possibly get others killed in her emotional turmoil. Either way, it was better for her not to know what I know.

'Is it wrong that I want this?' her words rang in my head. She was just as confused as I was about this. I don't think she really knew why she felt like she did towards me, which only made me worry more. Hell, how did I know it wasn't because of my actual existence here? What if this was just some cosmic aftereffect of my being brought here? But what if she actually felt that way towards me? Gah, this was making my head hurt almost as bad as a hangover.

"Private May!" Oh crap. I immediately snapped to attention towards the voice, which belonged to none other than my CO, Gunny Ellison. "What are you doing up this early?"

I had to do a double take. Here my CO was, dressed in jeans and a plaid t-shirt and boots, asking why I was up so early. If this man couldn't have knocked me to the ground and put me through hell, I would have laughed at his appearance being so different.

"Sir! I woke up early without a hangover, so I went to the base hospital to figure out why."

"Well did you drink?"

"Yes sir. As much as or more than the rest of my team."

To my surprise, he looked at me with a smile. "At ease son, I'm still off duty. No need to keep calling me sir. Now, tell me what the doctors told you."

"Overclocked processor or something in my amp. I didn't understand all the technical talk, but it turns out I don't get hangovers, sir." I sad after relaxing. "Permission to speak freely?"

"No need to ask. Like I said, I'm off duty until 1200. Until then speak your mind."

"You look ridiculous sir"

"…"

"…"

"…I thought it looked good when I put it on."

"Pink plaid with jeans on you? Sir I'm still having trouble not laughing at your appearance."

"…Well shit." That was it. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I dropped to the dirt in laughter, completely unable to contain it anymore. I was surprised, however, to see him laughing as well. "Boy, let me tell you that I had sincerely wished to get back to my quarters and change before anyone saw me in this getup."

"Why would you have thought it was a good idea to begin with?!" I said through gasps of breath and laughter.

"Blame my mother. She always loves seeing me like this." He said, suddenly getting depressed. "Well… she use to at least."

"Shit, I'm sorry sir. If you don't mind my asking, when did she go?" I asked tenderly, forcing my laughter at his appearance to go away.

"Three years today. I've always taken time to go and pay my respects."

"I know how you feel sir." I said sympathetically. "Hell, I think I've lost more than I have yet to even realize." 'At least you got to say goodbye…'

"That's military life for you. Ya never know when someone else might be taken from you." He sighed and looked me in the eye. "My advice? Make the most out of every relationship you can. It helps more than you could ever imagine."

We stood there in silence for a bit before he continued. "Well, I gota get going. Figured I could use this time to catch up on some paperwork instead of yelling at you idiots rolling around in the mud."

"Good luck with that sir." I said, giving him a chrisp salute.

"I told you ya didn't have to do that boy."

"I'm aware sir." I said with a small smile on my lips as he turned to walk away.

"Don't think I'm going to be going easy on you just because you saw my sentimental side!" He yelled over his shoulder. "If anything I'll be doubling your workload!"

"I'll hold you to that sir!" I chuckled before heading back to the bunkhouse.

"Cassandra, wake up. I got something for you." I half said, half sang. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. "Come on Cassandra, I know you're going to like this."

"Five more minutes." She grumbled. "I'm still hung over."

"That's what the gift is silly. The cure to your head pain." That was enough to get her up it seemed, since she suddenly wasn't laying in my bed anymore. Instead, she was drinking a class of water I had grabbed, with the pill's wrapper in her other hand.

"Ahh, I can't help but love the person who discovered that miracle pill."

"Even more than the person who got you that pill?" I teased, only to start laughing when her face turned red.

"I had hoped that was just a dream." She groaned. "Or that you wouldn't remember."

"Oh please. I might not remember what happened after we started drinking again, but everything before that is crystal clear." I laughed, continuing to tease her.

"Ohhh, you don't do you?" I gulped. That was not a good tone of voice for someone I was teasing. "Then you don't remember saying yes to Markov's proposal?"

"What can I say? He's got everything I look for in a guy. Good looks and brains." I joked. It was a running joke that everyone had a 'crush' on Markov because of his ugly head and his lack of a way with words. "Though that would explain why I woke up in bed with him."

"Your kidding. When did you wake up?"

"0500." I replied casually. "Without a hangover, I might add. Turns out I have the best hangover prevention build into my body."

"Huh?"

I let out a sigh. "My amp is overclocked, and keeps me from getting a hangover."

"Lucky bastard. Oh, speaking of biotics, look at the back of your shoulder when you flair them."

Curious, I took of my shirt, much to Cassandra's liking. I wasn't near how I wanted to look by any means, but after three high intense workout days I had lost a couple pounds. It was noticeable, but only if you had kept track of it. I walked over to a mirror and looked over my shoulder. There was nothing on either of them.

"Come on, flare them up!" Cassandra encouraged. I raised my eyebrow, but did as she asked and flared my biotics, letting the purple glow surround and steam off my body. When I looked back over my shoulder, I was surprised at what I saw.

It was a circle with an x inside of it, with several different colored leaf etchings surrounding it. Forming a square around the circle were four names. The top left was Jayce, to the right was Lilly, the bottom left was Markov, and the bottom right was Johnson. Each of their names had I different shade of purple to it, as well as a different intensity.

"Wait, is this a tattoo?" I asked.

"Yeah. It's a bit late if you don't like it." She smirked.

"I love it, but where's your name?" I asked. I had looked, but couldn't find it anywhere, even on other areas of my body.

"It's there. You asked the person doing it to do it specially. You showed us it last night, and my name was there. I don't know what you asked her to change though."

"This is a biotic tattoo, right?" She nodded. "Then I think I know what to do."

I altered my biotics lightly, flaring right at the center point of the x. Sure enough, her name slowly started to fade into existence. With just a little more intensity, Cassandra's name fully appeared.

"How did you do that?" She asked, surprised that I had known what to do.

"I know myself, that's why." I said, not bothering to go into detail. It would have ended up revealing too much. I looked back over my shoulder at the tattoo and only confirmed my suspicions.

The circle was poorly done, or at least it appeared that way. What it really was, instead of a circle, was a very, VERY rough sketch of the galaxy. The X had been put on wrong so it wasn't in the center. Instead, it was slightly up, and slightly left of what would have been the galactic center. Or, more specifically, near the terminus systems border where Shepard died in the games. It was too close to the center to be the exact spot, but the message from my drunk self was pretty clear. Cassandra was near the center of everything, which meant I needed to be as well.

Especially since my name had come up after I flared my biotics a bit more. Right beneath Cassandra's.

"Remind me to never get this drunk again. I apparently couldn't sit still to have the poor bastard do a proper circle." That got a small laugh out of Cassandra before she sighed in relief. Guess the miracle pill finally kicked in.

"So, you wana know just how drunk you actually got?" she asked teasingly.

"Do I really want do know?"

"Maybe not. You might get away with not having to pay child support."

"WHAT?!"

"Relax, I'm kidding… Mostly." Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "You want the whole story, then you better get to the showers."

"Well darn, since I already took mine I guess I won't ever find out." I sighed.

"Who said anything about you showering?" She whispered in my ear before walking to said showers, playfully swaying her hips. I waited until she had finally walked in before I moved.

"That woman will be the death of me."

"I wana know what the hell she sees in you." Jayce said, sitting up in his bed. "Especially when she has this stud to look at."

"If you want your anti-hangover pill, you will wisely shut up." I moaned, laying on my bed. When I didn't hear him continue, I tossed him a pill. "Good boy."

"Bitch." He said, plucking the pill out of the air.

"Asshole." I shot back. "Honestly, I kinda agree with you. I have no idea what she sees in me. Hell, we've only known each other for a little over a week."

"Shit, that short of time and she's like this over you? You must have done something right." He shrugged

"I don't think I did anything special, or even anything that could be misinterpreted as something to catch her interest."

"Don't tell me you're not interested in her!" Jayce's face was one of shock.

"What? God no, have you seen her?!" He let out a sigh of relief. "What the hell was that for?"

"I'm glad you're not a total loss GAH" I punched Jayce in the gut before he could continue.

"Bastard. It's not that I'm not interested." I paused, trying to figure out how to get my point across. "I just… don't see how we could make it work. Between regulations against fraternization, and different deployments, we could very possibly never see each other again after here."

"Well, I guess that's a valid reason to be cautious." Jayce admitted, after regaining his breath that is. "But you won't make a move on that just because you might not see her again?"

"I'm not some player Jayce. I don't do one night stands. I'm a one and done kind of guy."

"Part of a dying breed." Lilly said, swinging down from her bunk above Jayce's. I wasn't surprised really, we were being a bit loud. Instead of being offended on her listening in, I just tossed her a pill. "And a gentleman no less. I can see why she likes you."

"Really? What is it?" I asked, silently wondering why I didn't ask Lilly in the first place.

"Well, I can't be sure, but it's probably because you treat her like a normal person." Lilly explained. "Add in the fact your nice and caring, with an admittedly great ass, and I can see why she's interested."

"Lilly!" I said in somewhat mock protest, making a show of covering my rear. Suddenly, something clicked in my head. "Wait, you said I treat her normally? Why would anyone treat her differently?"

"Shit, you don't know, do you?" Jayce asked. "Cassandra got pulled from training by Commander Anderson and a lot of Alliance Brass for some op. Apparently, she was out on Mindoir when it got hit, waiting to head to some other destination. When the attack happened, she tried her best to defend everyone, but she was the only soldier who wasn't killed immediately. She rescued quite a few people and defended them until the Alliance came back, more than anyone had expected her too."

"Yeah, when they brought her back, she was basically a celebrity. One soldier saves a quarter of a colony from a slaver attack. Everyone knew she was going to be big one day, so when she declined a promotion, it just reinforced the feeling of her being someone who was going places." Lilly continued.

'Holy shit. She has all three backgrounds? Don't tell me she's going to get all three military incidents as well. Hell, if she can get through all of that without training, why the hell am I even here?' I thought. "Damn. I never knew that about her. Guess that explains why she was with Anderson when I got recruited."

"Oh yeah! You're the guy who landed in a minefield!" OK, HOW THE HELL DO PEOPLE KNOW THAT IN A DIFFERENT CONTINENT?! "I think you two are more similar than you realize."

"What? How?"

"Well, you both take risks, both ended up with biotics, and you each have your own fame in the military." Jayce said. "Hell, if Anderson recruited you after seeing what he saw in Shepard, I'd say you're both destined for greatness."

"Still, I don't think that she would like me this much over things as small as those."

"Boy, who said she sees them as small?" Johnson said, walking around the bunk Jayce and Lilly were sitting on. I just tossed him a pill and motioned for him to continue. "You think acting courteous and caring are just natural, but to someone who's gone through what she has, seen the things she's seen, their like a beacon of hope. Something showing that there's still good in the galaxy."

"That and you are strong." Markov added in, lumbering over like a drunken ape. "Not many can adapt like you to surroundings. Plus you make good drinking partner."

I threw a pill at Markov before speaking. "You guys really think I have a chance at this? A lasting relationship with her?"

"Hell, I don't see why it's not worth finding out." Johnson spoke up first.

"I think you two would make a cute couple." Lilly admitted.

"Just don't be sharing bunk on many nights. Markov need his beauty sleep." Markov teased.

"Amen to that big guy. I don't want to be kept up by her saying how inadequate you are." Jayce smiled. "But at least I could swoo-AGH! Damn it Lilly, the pill hasn't kicked in yet!"

"Then don't be a perv." She said, sporting a shit eating grin. "Or don't drink so much."

"Well, I'm still nervous about this." I sighed, mostly from Lilly and Jayce's antics. "And I have no idea if we would last after we get deployed, but if you guys think it's worth a shot then I guess I'll try."

"Damn right! Go get her tiger!" Johnson said, slapping my back as I got up and walked to the showers. Damn did that hurt, especially since he hit right on my new tattoo.

* * *

I walked into the showers for the second time, making sure to disrobe so my clothes wouldn't get wet, and walked up to Cassandra's stall. It was pretty obvious it was hers, it being the only one running and her being the only redhead in the unit. Instead of choosing a stall next to her like I normally did, I walked into hers.

"Getting bold Will. I like it." She teased, giving me a great view of her backside. "Now if only I could get you to say yes to me."

"Well, lest talk about that." I say, wrapping my arms around her waist, in more of a loving way than a sexual one. "I'm still very iffy about it…"

"But?" Damn it, theres that hope in her voice again.

"But… I'm willing to see where this leads." I whisper in her ear. I must have done something right, because I could feel her literally shiver. "But just so you know, there are some rules."

"Un-huh." She muttered, pressing herself against me.

"First off, we aren't a couple… yet. I'm willing to try but if things conspire against us we both walk away."

She seemed a little sad at hearing that, so I held her tighter and continued. "Secondly, while we are together, I am going to be the most protective, over-reacting, and caring boyfriend you will have ever dated."

By this point she had turned around, her yellow eyes staring right into mine while shining brightly. Honestly, if we weren't both completely naked, in a barracks shower stall, and had the rest of our team listening in, I'd dare say this would be romantic.

"And lastly, while I'm open to doing just about anything with you right now, no sex. Like I told you, I'm a one and done type of guy." Her eyes loose some of their shine, so I continue. "But I do hope I will be you."

With that I leaned down slightly and kissed her. It felt so much better than last night's quick kiss, this one was filled with a calm longing. We each wanted this, but also respected each other's wishes. Her arms made their way around my neck and we just stood there, lightly kissing each other as the warm water ran over our skin.

"Remind me to thank Lilly." I whisper after pulling back slightly.

"Oh? Why?"

"Because she's probably the only thing standing between us and the rest of the team." I chuckle.

"Yeah, we should thank her." Cassandra giggled before letting me go. "Now, I don't know about you, but I think I still need to shower."

"Then allow me to help." I whisper in her ear, making her laugh as I slowly lather up her body.

* * *

**OUTSIDE THE SHOWERS**

**THIRD PERSON POV**

"Were sorry! We promise we won't try to look again!" Jayce cried. "Just don't hit me with tha-AGH!"

"Girl, I swear. When these ropes come off I going to put you in a world of pa-NGH!" Johnson stifled his voice, trying to keep the pain in his head.

"Markov is confused. Why is he here too?" A loud cracking sound was heard, but no reaction came from the man who was hit.

"Because, I need someone to help me keep the rest of these idiots out." Lily said, holding a whip. "Now, you keep the rest of the unit out of the showers until I get back. I have plans for these two boys here."

"Have mercy!"

"Bring it on you dumb ape!"

"Don't make her MADDER at us!"

To everyone's surprise, Johnson had somehow stood up despite the ropes tied up along his body to limit his movement. "You want breakfast? You gota catch it!"

A single crack of Lilly's whip knocked Johnson over. "You are going to regret ever saying that." She said with an evil smile on her face.

"SOMEONE HELP!"

* * *

**Alright, so first off I want this to be known. I don't know how many eezo nodes a biotic normally has in their body, and it isn't posted anywhere. If someone has problems with the numbers I came up with, feel free to tell me because I was just making those numbers up.**

**Secondly, I have no idea what's actually in a Thessian temple. No sights I went to said anything about it other than that it was a 'mild Asari drink.' And yes, I like fruity alcohol and am no fan of beer of any kind.**

**Lastly, I wasn't expecting to actually write a relationship between Shepard and Will. It just happened as I wrote it. ****Now, I'm not saying that it will stay this way****. Everything is subject to change in this story. I mean, they have around ten years before the start of the first game even happens, and I will tell you now that they WONT be working together for most of that time. And no, they're not just jumping into a committed relationship. Hell, it's not even a relationship at all yet. All that really happened is that Will admitted he has feelings for her they would just take it day by day.**

**Please don't kill me for it. I like living.**

**Also, CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL ASHLEY SAYS AFTER THE WHOLE GOLDBRICKING THING? I CANT REMEMBER AND I REALLY DON'T WANT TO GO BACK AND PLAY THE GAMES UNTIL I ACTUALLY REACH THAT POINT.**

**And as always, please let me know of any mistakes or corrections you can see. I love the reviews! See you all next time!**


	3. Look at all these Titans!

**ALRIGHT GUYS I'M BACK, and honestly I'm kind of sad. Over 240 people read my story within 24 hours after the last chapter was posted, and I only got one person to post a review since then. I KNOW you all are reading this, but without reviews, I don't know if you are enjoying things or if you think I'm doing a horrible job. So please, LET ME KNOW! DON'T HOLD BACK!**

**OK, rant over, let's get to it!**

"Normal talking"

_"__Radio chatter"_

'Inner thoughts'

(Little tidbits I felt like adding that don't affect the story whatsoever)

**Chapter 3**

**Look at all these Titans!**

* * *

**MACAPÁ RECRUIT TRANING DEPOT, EARTH**

**JANUARY 17****TH****, 2173**

Being entirely honest here, I'm not sure how things have been going for me. On the plus side, Cassandra and I's relationship has been progressing steadily. During some time off for Christmas, I ended up going with her to visit her family. They were very welcoming, and a little more than eager to meet the man who had stolen their daughter's heart.

Let me say this now, I know where Cassandra gets her looks, and it isn't from her father. Hannah Shepard was almost a complete clone of what Cassandra would probably look like in the future. Not that I paid much attention to her, I was too busy being a jungle gym for the other relatives kids.

I didn't get to meet Cassandra's father though. Hannah herself was lucky to have gotten leave to come back home. The entire Shepard family was in the military it seemed, including some of the relatives. No wonder why Shepard was as good a soldier she was, she had her entire family teaching her before she even knew she wanted to enlist. It kind of confused me why she just didn't live with the relatives that weren't in the military, but Cassandra seemed no worse for wear so I didn't dwell on it.

Another good thing was myself. Gunny Ellison had been telling the truth when he said he would work me twice as hard after seeing his sensitive side. Because of his roughly three month intense training regime, I was in the best shape of my life. Granted, I didn't have a body builder's look, nor did I have a six pack, but that was well under way.

I had also started practicing with my biotics, not that I didn't before. It just became a part of my actual training about a month in. I honestly wondered how much of what I learned to do was actually me, or the stupid death dice that Death had me roll.

I did learn one thing quite quickly that ended up helping me with my training. I can use my biotics to lighten my own mass! By doing this, I was able to run longer and farther, as well as jump higher and fall slower. I really liked the last part, because it helped ease my fears of falling by not making the sensation nearly as bad.

Now for the bad. In five months, basic training would be over and we would be given our individual assignments. Where we would go, who we would be with, and what we would be doing all had yet to be determined, and I didn't want to go anywhere without Cassandra. To make matters worse, the base's commander had started to take a close interest in her.

At first I thought he was just coming on to her. She was by far the most attractive girl on base in my opinion (though that might be slightly biased). I didn't appreciate his advances, nor did I enjoy their private talks.

To make matters worse, Cassandra wouldn't tell me what they were about. She told me they were trying to groom her for an officer's position. She was excited, but only because it meant I would have to buy her a crap load of beer. Already, she had built up an amazing tolerance of the stuff, and was often only lightly drunk when we left the clubs.

I wanted to trust her, and I thought it was just my over protectiveness of her kicking in, but I just couldn't shake the feeling that something big was going on. Something that would probably keep us apart.

So now my time is spent between double the amounts of training than everyone else and spending as much time with Cassandra as I could. The rest of the team had been progressing quite steadily as well. Lilly had turned into a better second in command than Jayce, simply because she could instill the wrath of god into the entire unit. It was funny to watch until she turned her attention to me. Never have I been so glad to have a girlfriend back me up, or more specifically, order Lilly not to touch me.

Jayce had kept his skills up as well, and despite Lilly taking his place, he was clearly an officer candidate. It was shown time and time again when he led the rest of the unit against Lilly in organized attacks. The only downside to their strategies being Markov, who had sided with Lilly out of fear and a desire to fight.

Johnson, unsurprisingly, had already been offered positions as a drill instructor. He certainly had the voice to be one, as well as the desire to see people crawl through the mud as dummy rounds flew just inches over their head. He hadn't said yes to any of the offers, but he HAD agreed to oversee a large portion of my own additional training. The man was a slave driver.

"ALRIGHT MARINES, LISTEN UP!" Gunny Ellison called our attention. Silence filled the amphitheater we were in as everyone stopped their talking and focused. "Congratulations are in order! You have all won an all-expenses paid week trip to Titan for hazardous environment training! Pack your gear and be at the shuttle pad no later than 0700 tomorrow morning! Anyone not there can kiss their sorry ass chances of being a marine goodbye! Are there any questions? Good! Dismissed!"

Immediately after Ellison walked out, everyone started complaining. "Why do we have to go to Titan?"

"I heard the atmosphere there is so toxic that if a bit gets into the bunkhouse, were all dead!"

"TITANS ARE MY TRIGGER!"

"Shut up Jaeger!"

"They say only the best and worse units get sent to Titan."

"I wonder which we are."

At hearing this, I walked up to the front. Honestly, I don't know what made it feel like a good idea, but as soon as I was up front, everyone eyes were on me and all chatter stopped. 'Great.' I thought. 'Now why the hell did I get up here? If I walk off, then everyone will be confused or more likely, tease me about it somehow. Do I give a speech? What should I say? I've always hated speaking, especially in situations like this where everyone is listening.'

Just as I was about to step down, I felt a hand be laid on my shoulder. Turning to see the owner, I was Cassandra's eyes staring into mine. It was pretty clear what she was saying, even without knowing her like I did. She had my back, just I would have had hers.

I let out a small breath and looked back out over the unit. Everyone's eyes were locked on me. Shit, they were expecting a speech now. Guess I'll have to improvise.

"You're all aware of our orders, and you know where were going." I started. "Titan. The largest of Saturn's moons. Now, I'll be the first to admit I have no real idea what were actually going to expect there, so I'll just share what I know.

The atmosphere is composed of mostly nitrogen. Now obviously, we humans can't breathe that. Long term exposure to light amounts here on earth can leave you with reduced lung function as well as increase the risk of other respiratory symptoms. I have no idea what the effects will be in a high nitrogen environment like Titan, so I want everyone to triple check each other's hardsuits.

Now, I'm sure you're all aware of the rumors. Even I have heard them going around. Only the best and the worst get sent to Titan for exercises. You're all wondering where our unit falls in those two categories."

I paused and looked over everyone. It lasted only a few seconds but as I looked at each person's face I saw something. Despite hardly knowing any of them, they were looking at me like a leader. Someone to follow into hell and back. Only one thought went through my mind as they looked at me.

'What in the hell did I just get myself into?'

"Let me be perfectly clear where I think we stand!" I said, raising my voice and getting a few people to actually snap their heads in surprise. "This is, WITHOUT A DOUBT, the best damn unit that has ever graced this training depot since its founding! I know that every single one of you have given beyond you all in your training! I can see the determination in each one of your eyes!"

Several of the soldiers in the room started to get pumped. I didn't think it was all that special of a speech, but it clearly was moving some people, so I continued. "We know in our hearts that every one of us has put forward our best efforts! If they want to label us as one of the worst units, then let's show them just how wrong they are! Let's prove, not just to them, but to ourselves that we are the best!"

I took a few steps forward, standing on the edge of the amphitheater stage. "SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS! WHO'S GOING TO SHOW THE BRASS THAT WE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?"

"We will!" The majority of the unit yelled.

"WHO'S GOING TO PROVE THAT WE WILL TAKE ON ANY CHALLENGE, AND GIVE NOTHING LESS THAN OUR ALL IN EVERYTHING WE DO?"

"WE WILL!" Their voices rose together.

"WHO'S GOING TO PROVE THAT WE ARE THE BEST THER EVER WAS AND EVER WILL BE!"

"**WE WILL!**" They yelled.

"DAMN STRAIT! NOW LET'S GET OUT THERE AND SHOW EVERYONE JUST HOW GREAT WE ARE! HO-AH?

"**HO-AH!**" Everyone yelled as they all started to pile out. Each one of them looked me in the eyes and nodded their heads. When the final person left, I dropped to the floor.

"Good god, what the hell did I just get myself into." I muttered.

"I thought it was a good speech." Cassandra said, plopping down beside me. "I'd be hard pressed to give a better one."

"Please, you're a natural leader. I'm sure you could come up with something ten times more inspiring than that without thinking." I smirked at her before frowning. "I honestly have no idea why I even did that. I'm not a leader. It's so much easier to just follow orders than to give them."

"I think you would be a great leader." Cassandra said honestly, scooching closer and resting her head on my shoulder. After I put my arm around her waist, she continued. "You have what it takes. A caring nature for those you are in charge of, a drive to keep them safe, and most importantly, you admit when you don't know everything."

"A lot of officers act like they know what's best for their troops." She pressed on. "But the best leaders are the ones that listen to their troops when they have knowledge their leader lacks. I believe you have more than what it takes to be one of those leaders."

"And frankly, so do I." The bases commander said, emerging from the shadows while causing Cassandra and I to jump.

"S-Sir! I wasn't expecting to see you!" Cassandra stammered as we both quickly stood at attention.

"At ease you two." He chuckled. "I've personally believed that fraternization rule to be a foolish one. Your secret's safe with me."

"Thank you sir." I said in a sigh of relief. Well, looks like I don't have to worry about competition with him after all. "I assume you want to speak with us?"

"More you than her, but yes. I understand you two, along with several others, were promoted to Corporal a month ago." It was true. Cassandra, Lilly, Jayce, and several others had all been promoted. Most of them were squad leaders now and showed plenty of potential. I thought I had just been thrown in as a reward for putting up with double the work.

"Yes sir. It was an honor." I replied.

"Well, I'm here to give you two another promotion. Congratulations are in order Service Chiefs, your drill instructors think very highly of you both." The Commander said with a light smile. "It would seem that Captain Anderson's suspicions about you both weren't unfounded. I look forward to seeing what the two of you can do when the time comes."

"Sir?" I asked in confusion.

"Another time I'm afraid, at a much later date. I believe I've said too much as it is." The Commander said with a knowing smile before it changed to a more serious look. "Just remember this you two… There are a lot of people expecting great things from you both. Don't disappoint."

With that, the Commander gave a crisp salute, which was promptly returned, and walked out leaving Cassandra and I alone again. We looked at each other, Cassandra with a warm smile on her face and mine with a look of utter confusion.

"There has to be some sort of mistake." I broke the silence. "There's no way I deserve to be a Service Chief."

"Will, they wouldn't give it to you if they thought that you didn't deserve it." Cassandra reassured me, putting a hand on my shoulder. Suddenly an evil grin spread across her face. "Or do you want to end up paying for another of my drinks."

"Honestly, I'll just be happy to reach Gunnery Chief. But until then…" I smirk back at her. "There's no way I'm going to let you mooch another drink off of me."

"But Will, don't you love me?" She asked, her eyes glistening with fake tears as her lip curled up and quivered.

"You know I do." I said, continuing to smirk at her. "But if you keep drinking my money away, how will I ever afford that apartment we've been looking at?"

"Thank god one of us is responsible." She snickered, quickly giving up on her fake pouting.

"Hey, you're a very responsible woman." I said with a laugh. "Just not when I comes to money. I can see it now. A galactic war is being waged, millions dying, your team needs the best weapons money can buy… so you buy ship models and fish for your aquarium."

"Yeah… yeah that sounds like me." She admitted sheepishly, while still having a laugh about it. "So. Any idea what he was talking about during that last bit?"

"Not a clue." I shrugged. "I just hope that it means I can finally get a little revenge and mooch a drink off of you."

"You could do that any time." Cassandra said in a sultry voice. "You just have to play your cards right."

"Let's get our gear packed before we continue that train of thought missy." I said, stealing a kiss from her while we started to walk out of the amphitheater. "Last thing I want is to get kicked out of here because I was playing with you."

"No fun." She pouted, but kept a smile on her face. "But I'll be holding you to that."

Another kiss. "Deal"

* * *

**MACAPÁ RECRUIT TRANING DEPOT SHUTTLE #23, ON ROUTE TO SSV EINSTEIN, EARTH**

**JANUARY 18****TH****, 2173**

The shuttle shook slightly as it ascended through the final bit of atmosphere between it and the void of space. Almost everyone was disappointed at their seats, not because they were uncomfortable, but because they weren't close to the sole window in the troop compartment. Due to Cassandra and I's new rank, we had been among the last to board this particular shuttle, making sure everyone else was onboard first.

That also meant we were right next to the door, which coincidentally held the window.

"First time off earth?" Cassandra asked, her voice raised just enough to be heard over the shuttle's engines and the other conversations. It helped that she was able to lean in close to me so that others weren't disrupted by it.

"Technically no." I answered. "Any time I jump I'm 'off earth.'" I smirked.

"I meant outside the atmosphere, jerk." She huffed.

"Again technically, no. Remember when I went parachuting and landed in that minefield?" She nodded. "Well, technically I was outside the first layer of Earth's atmosphere."

"Screw you and your technicalities. Just answer the damn question." She growled, giving me a playful yet serious punch.

"Alright, alright! No need to be so hostile!" I chuckled in surrender. "Yeah. First time off world."

"It's an amazing view, isn't it?"

It truly was breathtaking. To see the earth slowly spinning as the Sun's rays spread across the ground, miles beneath our feet. There was a large spiral of clouds over what I thought was North America (I can't really tell, because of the damn clouds, but the Sun's rays were moving in that direction so I could assume) while a large pillar stood straight out of the storm. The occasional flash of lightning high up in the clouds would light them up a light blue in the dark.

That was one of the things I couldn't get my head around. Why were there ODPs (Orbital Defense Platforms)? They were never there when this was a game, even in the third instalment. Again, I wondered why I was even going to be needed. If Shepard had gone through hell already BEFORE even enlisting, and Earth had ODPs, then why the hell would little old me be able to change or accomplish? Before I could answer, she laid her head on my shoulder, so I propped mine up on hers.

"Truly a one of a kind view." I whispered as the conversations died down, everyone too busy trying to get a look out the window to continue their conversations. "A lot like you."

"You shameless flirt." She giggled, quite cutely I might add.

"Guilty as charged." I chuckled back. Slowly the view started to tilt away as the shuttle angled towards its destination, the SSV Einstein, one of the three carrier-class ships mentioned in game.

I don't know about anyone else, but to me; every ship looked like it was too small. They looked more like toys than highly destructive weapons of war filled with people. The only ships I felt were big were both the Normandy's, the Collector ship, the Shadow Broker's ship, and Geth Dreadnought. The only reason I felt the first Normandy was big was simply due to its appearance when you docked and looked at it from the outside (the inside was stupid small in my opinion, but it WAS a game.)

Those thoughts were striped from my head as we approached the SSV Einstein. I knew that Carriers were as big as Dreadnoughts, but damn was the thing massive! And we were still at a bad angle, which meant I could only see about two thirds of the ship!

The whole thing was a little under a kilometer long (888 meters or roughly half a mile) and a third of that in height and width. It may not seem big, and when I had heard the numbers I could picture it slightly, but nothing can prepare you for just how big the damn ship was until you see it.

"Remind me to get the best pilot and crew in the fleet if I ever get put in charge of a ship." I whispered to Cassandra. "That way I can feel a little comfort if I end up in ship to ship combat."

"Relax, I hear its mostly barking out orders from a leather chair." She whispered back. "I know I'd love to captain a Frigate. Small, fast, and nimble while still packing a good punch."

"Just like you." I teased, reminding her that I had a good couple inches on her. She punched my shoulder, and damn did it hurt. "OW! I swear, you don't need any more PT. Your punches are deadly enough as it is."

"You're just trying to make me feel better about you being taller." She pouted. I simply glared at her as I tried to return feeling to my arm. "Did I really hit you that hard?"

"Whole arm's numb as hell, so I think so." I muttered, not mad at her at all but I wanted her to know it had really hurt.

"Good. You deserved it."

"I swear, if I didn't love you so much…" I mumbled, not really caring that I didn't have any clue what to threaten her with.

The shuttles, all six of them, landed in a neat row on the flight deck. I had to hand it to those barrier curtains over the GIANT DOORS THAT OPENED TO HARD VACUME because I was nervous as hell when we stepped out.

* * *

"Well that was boring." I said as we got back into the shuttles. The captain of the ship, who I didn't bother to remember, had come down to personally tell us that we were restricted to the flight deck we had landed on for the duration of our hour trip. Why he hadn't just told us over the intercom, or just let us wander, I didn't know, nor did I get the luxury of asking.

Man Ellison is in a bad mood today. Must be his man period.

"Eh, wasn't all bad. Especially the last half hour." Cassandra pointed out with a smile. During the last half hour she and I had gotten some sleep, or rather, I had been used as a body pillow while she had slept… not that I minded of course. She stretched one last time before boarding the shuttle, with me following right behind her.

"Damn it!" I muttered. "I forgot to ask him!"

"Ask who what?" questioned Cassandra.

"If Johnson had made a comment about the view." She gave me a confused look, causing me to sigh. "It's a Halo thing. When the player is heading towards the Ark in a dropship?"

"Nope. Nothing." Uncultured swine… I really hope I didn't say that out loud.

"Remind me to have you play those games." I said, sitting in my seat a bit harder than I intended due to the shuttle jumping up. "And to have a word with that damn pilot."

Cassandra got a laugh out of that.

* * *

"_That's some view_." Someone said over the comm link. I sighed. There was simply no stopping what was coming.

"_Enjoy it while you can marines_." What the hell? That's Ellison's voice, not Johnson's. "_As soon as we land, were right back to it. Anyone want a guess as to what priority one is_?"

No one was saying anything. Not even Johnson, though I think that was more out of disappointment than anything. Sighing, I decided I'd give a shot at the answer. "Secure our LZ, offload our supplies, and set up guard schedule?"

"_You got some points for trying William, and more for two correct answers_." Ellison replied. "_We don't need to guard a damn thing, so it's strait to training_."

Queue (yes that's how it's spelled, I checked) collective groaning from… well everyone.

"_Now, now, settle down. I am nothing but a fair man_." He continued with a cackle of laughter. "_And if anything, you should be thanking me. Your training is going to help you all get use to the change in gravity. Get ready to relearn how to walk boys and girls._"

"Damn that man and the sadistic glee he gets when watching us fumble around." I muttered AFTER making sure I wasn't broadcasting. Ellison had a nasty habit of listening in on his trainees 'private' comm lines.

Cassandra nudged me. "Hey, it could be worse. We could have been dropping into a combat scenario."

* * *

**SURFACE OF TITAN, TRAINING GROUNDS**

**FIVE MINUTES LATER**

"YOU JUST HAD TO SAY IT, DIDN'T YOU?" I yelled over the gunfire as I dived for the cover of some crates.

"HEY, AT LEAST WE-"

"**DON'T**! SAY IT!" I cut whoever was speaking off. "NO MORE JINXING!"

"DRONES COMING UP ON THE RIGHT!" Cassandra called out. "UNSHIELDED!"

"WARP GOING OUT!" I yelled, poking my head out before seeing two drones fall from the air, one from my warp, the other from the crack of Cassandra's rifle. Unfortunately, there were still at least twelve more drones.

And at least thirty mechs. All closing in on our position.

"_This is second squad, were getting pinned down by those drones! We need help over here_!" a voice crackled over the comm.

"Who's over by second squad?" I asked.

"Third and fourth squad's shuttle landed over there!" one of the marines with me behind the crates answered. "Haven't heard from them, but they just might not be able to call back!"

"Will! Johnson and Markov were on that shuttle as well!" Cassandra yelled out.

"Tell me again why our team was broken up?" I complained. "Never mind. Johnson, Markov, you two still up?"

_"__We read you Will_._"_ Johnson replied on the Comm.

"What's the situation over there?"

_"__Half of each squad is down from our crash landing, with a couple wounded. Probably enough standing to make up a squad_. _A couple of mechs and drones, but nothing we can't handle."_

"How bad are the wounded?"

_"__They'll live. Just not moving any time soon. We have them in positions that let them keep firing without much risk of being hit."_

"Good. Get everyone who can move over to second squad. They got a swarm of drones and need help taking them out. I'll be meeting you over there. Until then, you're the acting leader of third squad Johnson."

_"__Rodger that. I'll be sure to save some for you."_

"You're going over there?" One of the marines asked.

"Cassandra, you got things handled over here?"

After a crack of her rifle, she responded. "A target rich environment with this rifle? I'm golden!"

"Then you have first squad. Don't advance, just take out any target you can. I'm going to go play exterminator."

"Have fun!" She called out as I prepped to run, lightening myself with my biotics slightly. "Lets give him some covering fire! I'll be damned if our C.O. is going to run out and get hit!"

A split second later, the air was filled with the sound of gunfire. I waited a second before sprinting off. Never have I been so glad to have been lied to before. Titan was supposed to have a gravity roughly one tenth of earths. The area we 'landed' at had gravity generators, so we were fighting in a slightly lighter than earth gravity.

A mech stepped out from behind come crates I was running towards. Perfect for me, bad luck for it.

Now, let it be known that using biotics is incredibly hard. Doubly so if you're a legal adult and hadn't spent their childhood learning how to control dark energy with your mind. That said, I was extremely grateful for my 'better-than-average' learning curve when it came to biotics. Especially right now.

There was probably a good fifteen meters of completely open terrain between me and the closest cover, where the mech had just appeared. Sure, I had covering fire from everyone I had just left, but that doesn't mean shit when fighting mechs, because the fuckers don't seek out cover! Since I was in Alliance standard issue light armor, I had some shielding between myself and the bullets flying at me, but two hits and my suit was yelling at me to find cover. At the third shot, my shields dropped with a strange crack/pop sound. Without having to think about it, I put up a Barrier around myself.

Unfortunately, almost every mech was now shooting at me and my barrier could only hold up against so much. In an act of sheer desperation, I concentrated on the mech between me and the safety of cover, pushing myself to get there as quickly as possible.

Then everything slowed down for a second, before exploding in a purple flash of light. I didn't realize what had happened until **after **I slammed into the crates, with a nice and soft cushion consisting of one metallic mech.

Which promptly exploded.

Fuck my life.

"Fuck my life!" I groaned before quickly scrambling up and over towards the boxes, getting into cover finally.

_"__Will, what the hell was that?!" _Cassandra yelled.

"No idea, but I think it was a charge." I replied, taking out my pistol, a shitty standard issue Kessler I, and took some shots at one of the mechs that had wandered over in pursuit of… well me. Thankfully, even this POS (if you don't know that, look it up. I'm not explaining it) had some decent accuracy, letting me get four shots in on the mech's head before it started to miss. Amazingly, four shots was all it took for the robots head to break off, and for the unit to explode.

_"__Think you can do it again?"_ She asked

"Christ I hope not. At least not without practice and a LOT of cushions." I complained. "I swear I'm still seeing stars from that collision."

Johnson's voice cut off any further comments from Cassandra. _"Cry me a river. You didn't have to deal with Lilly's whip! Now quit griping and get your ass over here boy!"_

"Have you even moved from your position?"

_"__Now's not the time for questions son! Move your legs! Get going!"_

"Yup. Still stuck there. Guess I'll go save second squad on my own."

_"__Listen tinkerbell, don't make me-"_

_"__CAN SOMEONE GET OVER HERE?!"_

"Calm down soldier. I'm on my way." I replied. 'Let's just hope to god I don't kill myself in the process.'

* * *

"Where the hell's our support!" A marine yelled. "He should have gotten here by now!"

"Stow it marine. Don't waste time complaining when you can be shooting!" Johnson yelled back in reply. "Service Chief William is moving towards us. **On. His. Own**. It should come as no surprise it would take him longer tha-"

Before Johnson could finish, a streak of purple light cut through the air, catching one of the drones in a bright purple glow as it started to slowly drift to the side. Seconds later, another purple light, this one much larger and slower, colliding with the drone just as it reached a small grouping of additional drones. The resulting biotic explosion was enough to cripple three of the four drones, causing them to sputter and spark on the dirt while the fourth limped in the air, clearly damaged.

"Backup has arrived!" I yelled, vaulting over a large rock with the assistance of my biotics before running over to join Johnson in cover. As soon as I got there however, I quickly grabbed the Storm shotgun off his back and fired at the damaged drone, ending its struggles. "Hope you don't mind me borrowing this. Broke mine bashing in a mechs head because he got in my way."

"If it were anyone else." He grumbled, getting a laugh in return as we popped out of cover and started firing at the small swarm of flying robots.

* * *

"How do the yanks say it?" Jayce called out, ducking behind a piece of debris from their 'crash landing' as a round whizzed past his head. "Out of the pan, into the blooming fire?"

"Close enough that I won't bother correcting you!" Lilly yelled back, firing a short burst into a damaged mech, putting it down for good. "Watch your left side! One of the mechs is getting close!"

"There is no need to fear! MARKOV IS HERE!" the big man roared, detonating a grenade he had thrown earlier while making nuts and bolts rain from the sky. "Big explosion, big success!"

"Nice job Markov. Fifth squad on me Move forward and press our advantage. We need to link back up with the main group!"

A small chorus of "yes sirs" and "affirmatives" were heard, both vocally and over the few radios that were working.

* * *

'Another one bites the dust!' Cassandra sang in her head as the head of the mech she had been aiming at exploded. She pulled what would have been the bolt lever if her rifle had been an old fashion bolt action sniper to let the excess heat out. This rifle had become her baby as soon as she had laid eyes on it, and her fondness had only grown during the months she had been using it.

Since Will had left, Cassandra had been having a great time taking out any mechs stupid enough to wander out in the open for too long. Her mood had taken a small dip when he had left, but had quickly risen in the target rich shooting gallery she found herself in. The fact that her targets were returning fire only made the experience even better.

"Hey! I'm gona get you two!" the crack of her rifle sounded twice, followed by the sound of it venting its heat again. "Another one bites the dust!"

"Good lord mam!" One of the marines next to her muttered in shock. "Just how old is that song?"

"Almost two hundred years!" Cassandra replied with a grin, scoping out yet another mech now that her rifle had cooled back down. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for the oldies."

"I feel bad for whoever has to put up with that old crap!" another marine spoke up.

"Since you care so much, I feel I should let you know that my man's the one who got me into it."

"Christ Will has bad taste." At Cassandra's piercing glare, he quickly backtracked. "About music! Not you!"

"Boy I want you to run out there and scavenge any working weapons for that comment!" Cassandra barked, not pissed whatsoever but still wanting to make it clear she didn't tolerate such comments.

"B-But there's still a shit ton of mechs out there!" he stammered, clearly not liking the idea of being shot at.

At the crack of her sniper, Cassandra spoke again. "Oh look, there's one less. NOW GET MOVING!"

"Y-YES MAM!"

* * *

"How are they doing?" A dark skinned man said, walking into the exercise command room.

"Better than I expected they would, considering half of them were casualties of the 'crash'." Ellison answered, not looking to see who had walked in.

"Half?" the man asked, surprised by the abnormal number. Recent advances in technology had cut down the estimated casualties from such crashes to less than a tenth of the vehicles occupants.

"The VI simulated three shuttle explosions in atmosphere, but the majority of the casualties are just too injured to move." Ellison said with a shrug. "We set these things to random per your orders. This is what it gave us."

"How many hostiles?"

"Just shy of a company."

"A company of hostile mechs and drones, against half a platoon, and you're saying their doing well?" The man chuckled. "Who are you and what have you done with the Gunnery Sergeant I know?"

"It's those two you've had your eyes on sir." Ellison continued, ignoring the jab. "Both of them are born leaders, each one knows just what to do to get the best results."

"There's a reason I had my eyes on them after all."

"Service Chief Cassandra Shepard. She's one of the best damn shots I've ever seen. Only reason she hasn't received her designation as an infiltrator is due to her horrible stealth skills." Ellison chuckled. "Woman couldn't sneak up on a corpus if she tried. Proficient in every weapon field, but excelling with a rifle, she's our number one soldier on base. Her low-grade biotics are just a plus for her."

"Service Chief William May, on the other hand, is easily one of the most adaptive bastards I've ever seen. Everything we've put him through, every time we beat him down or present him with something new, he beats in inside a week. Arguably one of the best human biotics, he's one of the most versatile vanguards. Only reason he has that designation instead of an adept is due to his high weapon scores and, in an interesting development, his ability to use Charge."

"The boy can already use Charge?" the man exclaimed. "He's only had access to his biotics for, what's it been, five months?"

"Just happened not ten minutes ago. Private, bring up camera twenty-three's recording. Ten minutes ago."

"Yes sir." The Private said over the sounds of the ops center.

"Thank you Private." The man said as the recording appeared on a side screen. Just as Ellison had informed him, Service Chief May was in the middle of a sprint for cover when his shields failed, only to be replaced by a biotic barrier. Then, as his barrier fell, he was enveloped in a purple glow before shooting forward, slamming into a wall with a mech as a cushion… before it exploded.

"A fifteen meter biotic charge, giving him just enough barrier strength to keep him from being injured by the blast." Ellison narrated. "Boy's lucky he pulled it off. Most biotics that learn to use a charge break some bones, and that's with proper padding for safety. How he manages to do things like that I desperately want to find out."

"Regardless of how he does what he does, I'm happy he's with us and not some merc group. The boy fell, quite literally, into our laps." The man sighed. "Dropped everything for a chance to join us. Even his family, who he still has yet to contact. If I had to guess, id say he doesn't want to see them. He's happy here, and has a family with his squad."

"Keep up the good work Ellison. Keep an eye on those two. Their already getting a lot of attention from the brass at Arcturus." The man continued, making his way to the door. "And don't go soft on them either. I'd hate to see you lose your touch."

"But of course Anderson." Ellison replied as small grin spread across his face. "I have great plans for those two."

* * *

"MY NAME IS WILLIAM J. MAY!" I yelled as a group of mechs closed in on my positon. "AND THIS!"

One mech went down in a fit of electrical spasms after being on the receiving end of my gun's discharge.

"IS!"

Down goes a second one, this one having its head sheered completely off.

"MY!"

The rest of the group started firing at me, but their weapons quickly stopped working as one of the marines with me put their pistols into a overheat warning loop.

"BOOMSTICK!" I fired a carnage blast right at the group of remaining mechs, breaking each one in the explosion. "Oh man, I could do this all day!"

"Remind me **not** to go up against you." A marine commented grimly. "I enjoy living."

"Come on Fredric. I got no reason to hunt you down and gut you." I said cheerfully. "Unless you try and steal my girl. Then no force in the universe could save your ass."

"…"

"…"

"... You said that way too cheerfully." Johnson spoke up.

"Consider it your only warning." I said, firing my shotgun into a twitching mech for added effect. The fact my eyes never left them also helped.

'I love this job.'

"Alright, let's get serious now." Everyone paid attention, I like to think it was slightly out of fear. "We need to get back to first squad and make sure their not overrun. We also need to figure out where the hell fifth squad is and why we haven't heard from them."

"So what's the plan boss man?" Another marine spoke up. I think his name was Robert. I didn't really remember.

"Simple. Regroup with first squad, secure their position, then send out a couple of scouts to find fifth squad if they haven't regrouped with us on their own. Sound good?" Everyone nodded. "Then let's make it happen! Show those DI's who the best damn unit here is!"

"HO-AH!"

* * *

The trek back to first squad was a slow one. More than once we were forced to stop and hold out against a wave of mechs that seemed to come out of nowhere. After the third encounter, they started using different tactics.

Namely, coming from the front while drones buzzed around our backs. Other than some close calls, we managed to get through no worse for wear, largely due to third squad consisting of engineers and a few sentinels. The sentinels were like Cassandra with their biotics, they had them, but they couldn't do much with them besides the basics like throw and pull, although one could use singularity. It was fun watching the drones struggle to escape the swirling high-gravity field.

And more than once they would fire at themselves, thinking they could take a shot.

Like I said. Fun to watch.

After finally reaching first squad, helping them push back the seemingly endless waves of mechs, we were annoyed to learn that fifth squad had radioed in. They were pinned down by a large group of drones and, in a fact that surprised me, a couple heavy mechs. (YMIR mechs, just so were clear.) And where were they pinned down?

Back the way we had just came from.

"Someone tell Jayce he's fired. I vote Lilly. She knows how to punish him." I muttered. "That man has the worst sense of timing."

"Any volunteers to mount a rescue mission?" Johnson asked, getting only shuffled feet and murmurs as a response. "No one? Hell, looks like I'll have to go on my own."

"No, you're staying here." Cassandra spoke up. "Someone needs to stay and make sure these idiots don't get too badly hurt."

"And where exactly are you going?"

Cassandra glanced towards me and I groaned.

"WE are going to get the rest of the team back together." I moaned, mostly out of annoyance. Two rescue ops in less than as many hours? "On the plus side, I'm going to sleep like a log tonight."

"You do that every night." Jonson teased. "Hell, you keep most of the bunkhouse up with your snoring."

"That's news to me. Could have told me I was doing that again." I chuckled.

"Again?"

"Yeah. Use to do the same thing when I was a kid. It's due to me sleeping chest up. Whenever I sleep chest down, I still snore, but I don't try and imitate a chainsaw."

"Sweet mother Teresa on the hood of a Mercedes Benz, there must be a god out there looking down on all of us!" Johnson all but yelled for joy, getting most of the marines excited at the idea of a full night's sleep again.

"You keep that up and I won't be changing anything!" I yelled over them as Cassandra and I started making our way towards Jayce's position. The cheering stopped immediately, but the laughter sure didn't.

"You wouldn't really do that, would you?" Cassandra asked after we were out of earshot.

"Madam, you wound me." I smiled. "Is your opinion of me so low you would actually question my seriousness of that?"

"I just want to know if I should invest in earplugs." She replied, trying her best to suppress a smile.

"Can we please focus on saving Jayce right now?" I sighed, only causing her suppressed smile to finally break free. "Remind me why I agreed to us again."

"Let's face it, you just can't say no to me. I have you wrapped around my finger."

"Completely untrue. I think I'm in it for that ass."

"See, got you right where I want you." She smiled and swayed her hips.

"… I see your point. Now can we PLEASE go save Jayce? I don't want have to listen to his complaining any longer than I have to." I groaned. This woman would be the death of me, I just knew it.

"Fine. You're no fun when we're working." She pouted.

As we finally increased the pace, I couldn't help but add in a snarky comment. "Gee, not like were walking into a holdout situation at all. No sir-e, just a pleasant stroll on a moon full of unbreathable air. Perfect time to tease your boyfriend if there ever was one."

"See! I knew you would agree with me!"

* * *

"You sure you can shoot that thing? I've seen your scores on the range." Cassandra quipped as we set up. Thankfully, with just the two of us, the return to where I had helped Johnson and second squad went without a hitch. Just a lot of back and forth over who was actually in charge of the relationships.

Thank god that it was over a private line. I shudder to think of just how much ammo someone could have gained to use against me. And the bit about the spiders? Completely uncalled for, though I did manage to get some shots back at her.

Now we were setting up our rifles on a nearby ridge overlooking where Jayce, Lilly, Markov, and the rest of fifth squad. It looked like hell down there. Between the few explosions going off from the heavy mech's rockets, the rocket drones, and fifth squads grenades, it was almost a fireworks show gone horribly wrong.

"And I'll have you know that, while I'm no crack shot sniper like you are, I can still get classified as a sniper if I wanted to." I shot back. "My scores aren't nearly as bad as your making them out to be."

"I'll give you a little room, but I still say you have a long ways to go."

"Duly noted, now are you ready yet?"

"Been waiting on you."

"Well I've been waiting on you. I'll take the standard mechs, you take the filers?"

"Giving me the hard job to make yourself look better?" she teased. "No matter, I'll still take down more than you. First to clear their targets wins?"

The dull crack of my rifle silenced any continued boasting on her part. For now at least. "Well, it looks like I'm already in the lead."

"Wana b-"

"No."

"You are such a boor!" She fired her first shot, taking out a rocket drone.

"No, I just know better than to bet against you. Hell, the entire unit knows that."

"Well then maybe you should all get better at poker!"

My rifle bucked against my shoulder. "That's not the problem! You make bets out of just about anything! Who's going to fall in the mud the most, who's going to get their ass chewed out by Ellison for goldbricking, and a thousand other examples."

"And how is that…" another crack of her rife. "A problem?"

"Because you almost always win!" down goes another mech. "Shit, focus fire on the heavy on the right. It's getting too close."

Her only form of acknowledgment was the crack of her rifle. "And how is me winning a problem?"

"Because you spend it all on alcohol!" the third shot to the mech's head finally caused it to collapse and fall. "No points to either of us on those."

"Fair enough. And I only drink so much because it's fun to watch you fight any guy I hit on." She switched her attention back towards the drones and resumed firing.

"Are you seriously not seeing the problem there? I don't want to fight any of them, and you're drunkenly flirting with complete strangers in front of your boyfriend!"

"… Ok I'll admit that sounds horrible. But you know I don't mean any of it." She paused her firing and looked towards me. "Right?"

"There are times I've been unsure." I took a chance and fired on a drone that had buzzed into my firing line, only to miss. "But that was only when you first started doing it. I know better now, but I don't find it amusing like you do."

"Shit I'm sorry."

"Oh, its fine." I grinned. "Because I'm going to be bragging about beating you for months to come."

"That's not fair! You distracted me and had less to fire at!" she complained, getting back into her groove as yet another flier met the dirt.

"Don't come complaining to me. You're the one who came up with the challenge and let yourself be distracted. Besides…" I took a pause and looked over at her. "It's nice to know you really do care."

"You doubted me?"

"Of course not. But that doesn't mean it's not nice to hear. Now then, I think I know a way to get rid of the remaining heavies."

"I already don't like this idea."

"Yeah. Neither do I." I looked at her. "So were doing it anyway."

* * *

"Holy hell Will! I don't think I've seen anything like that in my life!" Jayce yelled out as he ran towards me. "Just where the fuck did you learn to do that?"

"It was an on the spot thought." I groaned, still on my back. "And I regret every second of it."

* * *

**Earlier**

_"__Will, this is a horrible plan!"_ Cassandra complained over our private channel. _"You're going to get yourself killed! And not just in the simulation!"_

"Relax. I got the best sniper ever covering my ass." I commented, trying to clear my mind of the suicide plan I had come up with.

_"__Damn it Will!"_ She all but yelled. _"I'm good but these are heavy mechs! A few sniper rounds won't do shit to their shields!"_

"That's why I have my shotgun!"

_"__There's five of them!"_

"Look, trust me. I'll be fine." I said. "If not, I'll submit to anything you want."

_"__Anything?"_ I'm immediately regretting this.

"This will probably end up horribly, but yeah. Anything you want."

_"__Then what are you waiting for? An engraved invitation? Get your ass moving!"_

'This can only go wrong, and yet here I am. Going through with my stupid plan regardless.' I thought. Cassandra had been picking off the remaining drones while I had been making my way around the heavies. The plan was for me to essentially turn into a biotic pinball, using my newly developed Charge ability to bounce between the heavies as quickly as possible.

The goal was simple: get all the heavies' attention while whittling down their shields with my charges and fire support from Jayce's squad. From there, Cassandra would target their heads to take them out quickly, while I softened the heavies for Jayce's squad with carnage blasts. My barriers should hold out, and the additional energy from the charges would help greatly.

It also helped that I had left everything besides my shotgun and pistol behind with Cassandra. With her having two rifles, she could use one while the other cooled down, and I wouldn't be weighed down by their weight, letting me move faster while increasing my cool down times.

The icing on the cake was that my weapons didn't run on thermal clips. Screw limited ammunition, I could just fire till my gun overheated then charge away from the incoming fire, reinforce my barriers, and charge again before resuming fire.

Well, it sounded great in theory. I just prayed it worked in practice.

* * *

_"Will, it's now or never. Jayce is getting overwhelmed. Markov's doing the best he can to hold them back, but we need to do this plan now!"_ Cassandra radioed in.

"Rodger that. I just got into position. Take out the weakened one and I'll charge in." As I had been making my way into a flanking position, Markov had come up with some jury-rigged explosives that had weakened a couple of the heavies, and left one of them without its shields. A perfect target to start my damned plan.

_"Firing."_ She said coolly before the sound of her rifle's cracks broke through the gunfire. There was some wining coming from the heavy without its head, but no warning lights to indicate it was going to blow like they did in the second mass effect game. Still, it made me weary of charging in immediately, so instead I fired a carnage blast at it.

Turns out that was exactly what the demolitionist ordered. The mech promptly went critical as its power core overloaded. Warning lights buzzed all over the doomed mech seconds before it finally went boom. The resulting explosion broke the remaining heavy mechs' shielding.

Seeing my chance, I charged forward. No, not a biotic charge, a sprinting charge while firing my weapon. I was too far away to be doing any real damage, but with them grouped semi-closely together I was able to have every shot hit something. Much to my dismay, doing so only got their attention.

Now, I had fully expected them to at least look my way and maybe have one of them shoot at me. I mean, these were military grade mechs after all. They should have enough intelligence to realize there was only one person at their flank while there was a full squad in front of them.

But no. I just had to get the shit end of the deal as all four remaining heavy mechs turned and started firing at me. Whoever had programed these damned machines was getting fired, I was going to make damned sure of that.

And then I'd kill them. For putting me through hell while facing four heavy mechs.

They were about to open fire on me when I finally charged bioticly, targeting the farthest one so that the other three would have to turn around to open fire on me. It felt strange, running one second while in the time between then and the next second seemed to span on forever. My vision did that weird tunnel thing it did in the games, and the next thing I knew I was slamming my shoulder against the head of a heavy mech.

Let me say that I now fully understood why Vanguards wore at least medium armor, instead of the light armor I was currently wearing. Preforming a charge meant slamming your body into whatever you target happened to be at near bullet speeds. Granted, most Vanguards use their biotics to lessen the damage to themselves when doing so, but their additional armor plates would do wonders to cushion the blow to the areas they normally use in a charge. Namely their shoulders.

Using only light armor, which was more or less a bloody jumpsuit with some shitty shields that I didn't even really use? It fucking hurts. A lot. Even changing the mass of my shoulder to lessen the damage done it still felt like I had done the opposite of dislocating my shoulder by jamming it deeper into my torso.

What really surprised me was the large dent in the mech's armor I had made. It wasn't something that would cripple the hulking machine, but it would certainly cause problems. The armor had bent in a way that prevented it from raising its rocket arm completely, its only firing angle was towards the ground about a meter in front of it. Still in range for it to use if I got close again, but otherwise useless.

That didn't hold true for its damned machinegun arm.

Within seconds of my slamming into it, the mech had recovered and opened fire. I had managed to springboard off the mech's chest and get away from the danger of a too close rocket, but I landed half on a rock and slipped, causing my shields to be peppered by the mech's gunfire.

And to make things worse, the other three were already halfway through their turns to face me. Damn near-instantaneous reaction times.

Thankfully, now was the time that Jayce's squad realized they weren't being fired at anymore, and promptly started returning fire. Cassandra also started to open fire again, noticing all the mech's shields were down from the blast earlier.

I had no plans to just lie around and get shot at, by the mechs or from friendly fire, so I rolled to my left and sprinted behind the mech who had just finished facing me. The mech I had charged had continued firing, and was now causing massive amounts of friendly fire until its gun overheated, leaving the mech I had hidden behind's armor absolutely shredded.

I didn't remain idle, however, and quickly climbed up the things back before putting my shotgun up against the back of its neck. As I opened fire in an attempt to sever its head from its body and get another explosion, Jayce's squad had taken down the mech closest to them with overwhelming fire. Without the threat of being overrun, or being shot at in general, they were able to focus their fire far more effectively. Their mech exploded in a not as big explosion that only caused minor damage to its surroundings.

Regardless, I was glad I was on the back of a mech, using it as a sort of shield. I'm not a fan of big booms THAT close to me without something in between it and me.

The mech's head I was shooting at finally parted from its body, and I was rewarded with yet another set of warning lights. I was really satisfied with that until I remembered something horribly important about explosions.

You don't want to be on top of the thing going boom.

I quickly dropped off the mech and charged, this time just bioticly, back at the mech I had charged earlier. It had backed off a bit in an attempt to get a better shot at me, and now I was rushing up to meet the thing again, grateful for the added distance between me and the explosion.

The mech Cassandra had been shooting at had dropped dead. No explosion or anything, just a large, broken pile of parts. Not surprising, considering she had a shot at the control panel on the mech's back from her positon. Without shields, it was just a matter of punching through the armor until it lost its control chip. Though it didn't help that its back was the second most armored part of the whole thing, she had managed to do it.

As my shoulder lashed out at my brain, sending waves of pain to signal it didn't appreciate being used as a battering ram so much, I swore in frustration. Hitting the exact same place as before, the armor was clearly hitting something it should have been hitting. To my horror, as warning lights started flashing, I realized it was the power cell.

What I later found out had happened was my charges had been perfectly placed, not that I had known that. The power cells were towards the right, and a bit forward inside the mech, essentially making it a heart. When I had charged the first time, the armor had bent only slightly, due to a piece of the support frame being directly behind it. That's why my arm had hurt so badly when I had initially hit it. The second charge had broken the piece of the frame behind the armor, causing it to pierce into the power cell and thus making it unstable.

I knew there was no way I could make it away from this blast completely. I had only just figured out how to charge targets, and I doubted I could charge anyone in Jayce's squad from this distance. That only left one option.

Run and pray that I don't die.

Having dropped to the ground after my charge, I quickly pivoted on my feet and sprinted towards Jayce's squad, giving myself every advantage by lightning myself and renewing my barrier. Everything seemed to slow down and I thought I was going to get clear. Something might actually go right!

Then the first mech exploded.

I was clear out of range of that explosion, so I thought I was in the clear. Unfortunately, the blast made the second exploding mech detonate just that much quicker. With me still inside its blast zone. It was in that moment, as I was being swept off my feet by the blast, that I realized something. Something I wish I could have prevented.

If I got hurt here, I had to do whatever Cassandra wanted me to.

That scared me more than dying.

* * *

Cassandra had been watching from her sniper perch after taking out the control chip of her target. She was initially looking for her next target, but quickly learned one was exploding, and will was charging the other, preventing her from getting a shot off.

Then, to her horror, that mech started to exploded as well, with Will still in front of it. And there was nothing she could do to help him. There was no way he could use his charge on her to escape, she was easily too far away, and she didn't think anyone with Jayce was close enough either.

She was about to yell into her radio for Will to run, but he already was, faster than she had ever seen him run. She thought he was going to make it, but fate was cruel to her and Will. She watch as the first mech finally exploded, causing it to make the second detonate prematurely. She then watched on in horror as Will's body flew through the air like a ragdoll.

As much as she wanted to run down there and see if Will was alright, she knew she had to keep a look out for more hostiles. Three exploding heavy mechs and a jury-rigged grenade would attract a lot of attention, and mechs had better hearing than most animals. Will would have wanted her to stay vigilant, so she would stay where she was.

But damn if she wasn't going to be looking towards him as much as she could.

She had plans for him if he had been injured.

* * *

The first thing I felt was heat. Not to the point I felt I was on fire, but defiantly a painful heat. The next thing I felt was the pain from landing head first. Never have I been more grateful for a helmet in my whole life.

I tumbled on the ground for a few seconds before finally coming to a stop on my stomach. First thing I did was quickly tense up every muscle I could in my body, just to see if I had any injuries. It hurt, but that was more soreness than anything. Grateful I didn't have any holes in me, I pushed up and rolled over onto my back.

"Bloody hell Will! I don't think I've seen anything like that in my life!" Jayce yelled out as he ran towards me. "Just where the fuck did you learn to do that?"

"It was an on the spot thought." I groaned, still on my back. "And I regret every second of it."

"I'll bet. Only you bloody yanks are able to pull off stupid ideas like that!"

"You're just pissed because we beat your stupid country where no one else could." I shot back, slowly sitting up. "Of all the child countries England had, we managed to break away completely."

"All because you yanks didn't like to pay for your tea." Jayce said, helping me up. "So you cried about it and threw it all away."

"Yeah, we cried. Tears of joy when we beat you." I said smiling.

"Christ almighty, you really had your bell rung to be thinking like that." Jayce laughed.

"Your welcome." I laughed, only to wince in pain. "Shit don't make me laugh. I feel like I'm barely holding together."

"YOU! YOU I MAKE HONORARY RUSSIAN!" Markov yelled out, clearly happy over the display of explosions I had caused. "ONLY RUSSIAN CAN MAKE EXPLOSIONS SO QUICKLY!"

"You really are crazy." Lilly spoke up. "I doubt that would have worked if you were sane!"

"Yeah… yeah I kinda agree with that." I chuckled, feeling good when I didn't feel pain. I tapped my radio to contact Cassandra. "Well Cassandra, I have good news and bad news."

_"__You know I like my good news first Will."_ she came back, her voice clearly filled with relief.

"Well, good news is that I'm fine. A bit sore, but fine." I smiled. "Bad news is that means I won the bet."

There was a small click as Cassandra switched over to our private frequency. I switched over as well. _"Will, I couldn't care less about that. I'm just glad you're safe."_

'Well, now I feel bad for getting after her earlier.' I thought. "I know. There's no other way to say it, but I got lucky. Now get down here. We need to figure out what to do next."

"That should be simple." Lilly spoke up. "Link up with the rest of the unit and wait for evac."

"Except we have some injured personnel at a separate location. Their dug in well and have been able to hold out on their own, but we need to get back to them, or get them to us." I informed them. "Damn it, should have had Johnson fall back to their location instead of having him stay there."

"Then it's a good thing we came running when we did!" someone shouted. I whipped around to see none other than Johnson, along with first, second, and fourth squads all running towards us.

"Shit. Now I feel even dumber for launching that suicide plan." I grumbled. "Could have just held out long enough for overwhelming fire support."

"Eh, I'll take your fancy explosions over a hail of gunfire and a chance to get shot at any day." Lilly nudged me in the ribs, causing me to wince. "Sorry."

"Johnson what the hell are you doing here?" I asked as he slowed down and trotted up to me.

"Ten heavies dropped in front of us sir. I ordered us to fall back to this location, with members of first and second running hit and run tactics to slow down our pursuers." He answered. It was a damn good plan, have a small, mobile squad harass the enemy as they chase you while the main group gets away. With members of two squads, it reduced the fatigue levels of just one group doing all the work.

"Shit, ten heavies? Will just took out three on his own, and we had six here. Together we could take out ten." Jayce thought out loud.

"Not a chance." Cassandra joined in as she arrived, handing me my rifles. "We only managed that due to sniper support dumb luck, and catching the enemy off guard. No way could we hold out against ten, especially if they had fliers supporting them."

"Well then what is plan?" Markov asked, getting annoyed at a lack of things to shoot.

"We fall back to where the remains of third squad are at the crash site." I said. "Reinforce their position and signal for evac. From what Johnson told me, they have a good position and good cover, but their limited lack of mobility. Set up a QRF (quick reaction force) to move to wherever their needed and provide additional fire for the wounded until we can get them somewhere safe. Johnson, you know the way, so you're on point. Take second squad and lead us there."

"Yes sir!"

"Cassandra, your taking First squad and any wounded we have with us. Keep them safe and follow Johnson."

"Got it Will."

"Jayce, Lilly, you two are on the flanks. Stay close so you don't get lost on the way to the crash site, but far enough out to give a warning if we have hostiles. Split up fourth squad between you two. If one of you calls out, both of you should pull back to the center with Cassandra, but don't stop moving.

"You can count on us." Jayce nodded.

"No, you can count on me. Jayce here still thinks he can charm these robots." Lilly joked.

"Markov, you're on rear guard. If the flanks call out, move up to support them with fifth squad."

"Da, it will be done."

"I'll be running interference the whole way. No heroics, just enough to hopefully keep you all from having to get slowed down. No matter what happens, don't stop moving."

_"__That won't be necessary."_ A voice came over our radio as our Omni-tools all light up, signaling the end of the simulation. _"The simulation is over. Report back to the shuttles."_

"Shit. Did we lose?"

"What happened to third squad?"

"Stow it marines. Get to the shuttles!" I yelled, quickly shutting them up. Truth be told, I shared their concerns. Did we lose because of a decision I made? Did third squad get taken out because I hadn't reinforced them sooner? If this is what it was like to be an officer, then I defiantly didn't want the job.

Now I just had to find out the results of our simulation.

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTES**

**So that's that. Not much else to say other than my usual rant about enjoying people's reviews. I am however leaving you all with a present. A peak at a later chapter. How much later? Not sure yet, but I think it will be pretty nice when we finally get there. Please note that it is subject to anything between no change and complete re-write.**

**PREVIEW BELOW**

* * *

**PLANET ELYSIUM, HUMAN COLONY**

**MAY 9****TH****, 2176**

This, this right here. This makes every single boring, troublesome, and horrendous day of work worth it. This alone is capable of relieving so much pent-up stress and frustration that most of the ship's crew would come back to duty feeling like a new person, providing they didn't have a hangover.

To say nothing of the dirty, gritty, and tired marines that were also onboard.

Shore leave. Not the pitiful, one day then back to work breaks I had gotten back in basic, oh no. This was a full on, completely endorsed, 10 day shore leave. More specifically, the first one I had taken part in since enlisting four years ago. Not that there been shore leaves before this one, I just chose to continue working or training on the ship, slipping out on occasion for a drink or two I'll admit before returning and getting back to work.

This time was different. I had gotten a message from Cassandra. She was going to be on shore leave for the last couple of days of my shore leave, and I hadn't seen her in years. The last time being after our mission to take out a pirate base we were to take out during our (Removed due to spoilers, hehe.)

It felt like forever ago, but it had only been about two years. Scratch that, two years is a long time to anyone other than Asari and Krogan, lucky long-living bastards. Since then I had been primarily assigned to Frigates, with the occasional Cruiser now and again for more high-end missions.

Currently, I was posted on the Frigate Stalingrad, named after the battle of Stalingrad back in WWII. She was a fine ship in my own opinion. Nothing like other, higher tonnage vessels, but a damn nice frigate none the less. She was a part of the 27th patrol fleet, a fleet obviously created to patrol the borders of Alliance space. Personally, I had no clue who in the Alliance brass was in charge of the damn fleet, but then again it really wasn't my place to know.

What's more is that none of that mattered right now. I was sitting at a nice restaurant in the outdoor section, enjoying a leisurely meal before heading back to my hotel. It had been seven days since shore leave had started, and I was mostly playing tourist, not that it was difficult.

Elysium was one of the most popular human colonies to visit. Featuring a normal (for humans at least) day/night cycle, a light gravity being a little more than half of Earth's, and having a key location for trading, the planet was a great vacation destination. There was only one thing wrong with it, in my opinion.

"Remind me why we're sitting outside?" I asked my fellow squad mate, one Marc Griffins. Standing tall at six foot five, the man was almost impossible to hide in a crowd of people. With the standard short military hairstyle, oddly colored blue hair and green eyes, the man was the literal opposite of anything stealthy.

Marc was a fellow (Removed due to spoilers, I'm evil, I know.) like I was, and more surprisingly, one of the best damn Infiltrators I'd ever met. The only reason he wasn't being deployed on solo missions like I had for my first year was due to his better scores in group work. I also had the luxury of having a higher rank than he did, with me being a 2nd Lieutenant, while he was still an Operations Chief. Despite that, the man was certainly officer's material, that much was clear.

Being a crack shot with a rifle (close to Cassandra's level, but nowhere near as stylish), he was right at home in a highly elevated spot, pointing out the best route to follow while taking out targets of opportunity. During the few missions we've had together, he had kept the squad from walking into no less than six ambushes and already had the highest confirmed kill count of the entire squad.

"The crisp air keeps you focused. Makes you more alert." He said, pausing to take a sip of his hot coco. "Besides, it's not that cold, light jacket weather. This is basically an early fall back on Earth."

"Hey, you don't have to tell me that. I grew up in Michigan, I know what fall is." I commented. "I'm just wondering why we would sit outside when there's a perfectly nice bar with plenty of women inside."

"Because the ones out here are more adventurous." He pointed out. Looking around since we had shown up, there was a noticeable increase in outside customers. More than one table being a group of women.

"Fair enough." I said with a smile as I looked out at the city. The restaurant we were at was located atop a skyscraper mall, giving an amazing view of the city and surrounding area. "The view defiantly helps as well."

"Didn't know you were from Earth." Marc continued. At my confused expression, he explained. "Sudden topic change, I know. I was diagnosed with a very light form of ADD. At best I'm a normal functioning government killer, and at my worst I jump topics."

"Sounds like you got off easy. Couldn't you get it treated?"

"Not really much point. The worst it's ever been with me was what just happened. Sudden topic changes. Modern medicine can only help those with moderate to severe diagnosis, and even then it only changes their classification to light. Sure there's pills for this, but I function fine, and they have some side effects I'd rather do without."

"Makes sense. Anyway, yeah. Born and raised in what used to be Michigan before all the countries dissolved into the Alliance. Quiet little farm town not far from one of the bigger cities."

"Guess you wouldn't enjoy living here then."

"Actually I think I would." I mused. "Things were a little **too** quiet for my liking. There's a reason I joined the military after all."

"True enough." Marc laugh as the waitress, who Marc had been shamelessly flirting with since we had sat down, brought us our food. "Still can't believe you ordered that."

"Hey, not many places serve honest-to-god dead cow." I quipped before biting into my burger. "Almost everywhere switched over to that vat grown crap."

"Not that, although that is a great point. I meant just how much food you ordered."

Looking at my plate, there were not one, but three mushroom and Swiss burgers with a large pile of fries. To anyone other than a fellow biotic, people would question just how much I had to work out to keep myself in shape. Thankfully, people quickly understood when I told them I was a biotic and needed these larger portions.

"Hey, it is so worth it just to see the server's reactions." I chuckled. "Biotics have it rough, I tell ya. Between faulty implants, the rep we get from idiotic civilian biotics, and our appetites taking huge dents in our wallets, I dare say we've earned the right to some amusement from shocked looks."

"I'm sure you get asked all the time, but what's it-" Marc's question was cut off by a large explosion. Both of our heads snapped in the direction the sound came from. "That's the direction of the spaceport. Think something happened on the Stalingrad?"

"If it gets us some more time off duty, then I hope so." I joked. Inside, however, I had hit a wall.

A sudden streak of light cut through the sky, hitting where the Stalingrad was docked, broke me out of my internal stupor.

"LT… What's going on?" Marc asked, his voice laced with fear.

"That should be obvious." I growled, opening my Omni-tool before sending out a mass broadcast. "This is Second Lieutenant William May to all Alliance forces and Emergency service personnel. Elysium is under attack by unknown forces. I repeat, Elysium is under attack by unknown forces. Get as many people to the shelters as you can as quickly as possible!"

Looking around me, there was a large crowd of civilians staring, most likely in shock. "Alright, listen up! I need everyone to get to the nearest emergency shelter! Trust no one with a weapon until you reach that shelter! Let's go!"

I took one last look towards the horizon, where the smoke clouds from the destroyed Stalingrad could be seen. Like I had told Marc, it was obvious what was going on.

The Skyllian Blitz had just started.


	4. You Do Care

**HELLO EVERYONE AND WELCOME BACK TO ANOTHER CHAPTER OF ****_A MASS SELF INSERT_****! IT IS SO GREAT TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN (figuratively speaking) AND LET ME SAY, I AM GLAD TO BE BACK!**

**I'M HONESTLY SURPRISED THIS IS COMING OUT NOW. I WENT ON A VACATION AT THE START OF APRILL, AND DIDN'T GET BACK TILL THE 11****TH****, ONLY WROTE LIGHTLY DURING THE TIME I WAS AWAY. IN A WAY, CELIBRATIONS ARE IN ORDER FOR SOMEHOW KEEPING THIS ON TRACK!**

**NOW, ON TO THE REVIEWS, BECAUSE I ACTUALLY GOT SOME THIS TIME! THESE WILL BE IN THE ORDER THEY WERE POSTED, JUST AS AN FYI.**

**Anbufox771: **Glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you enjoy this one as well!

**ThelonewolfNT: **I hope your story goes well friend! I was planning on giving Will some tattoos, and maybe a few scars, but nothing on the level of Jack or Zaeed. Just enough to make Will a bit more interesting.

**Undercover Operative:** Thank you so much for enjoying my story. It really feels nice to be told that others are enjoying what I write. As for will being OP, I tried my best to limit that. He's defiantly no super soldier, and WILL be visiting the med bay quite a bit, though I do agree, it's hard not to be better than the common grunt in Mass Effect, even on harder difficulties. Hopefully I can make things interesting!

**Kamika111:** What do you mean for now?! Lol. Anyway, I know the romance kicked off quickly, but I do have a semi-plan for that. Can't say anything about it, but there is a reason it started so early and why Cassandra had a quick and heavy interest in Will.

**DarthJohn: **Here's hoping this chapter lives up to your expectations!

**Cprime.3000: **So long as people read my stories, I will keep writing! Thanks for your support!

**PhoenixTsutani: **Those are great ideas for Horizon my friend, and I will defiantly think back to them when it is time to write that. For now though, I'm just thinking about what's happening in the first game. Still, great ideas there. As for the origin stories and career profile thingy for Cassandra, I wanted her to have a troubled past, but with an actual family, because let's face it. Best thing about spacer Shepard? They have a mom. And in this story, hopefully a mom who makes more than token appearances. I CAN tell you that I WONT be giving Cassandra all three career things (Torfan, the blitz, and Akuze) because that seems like a bit of overkill. Hell, I might entirely rewrite the blitz so Cassandra's there instead of Will, I'm still not sure where they will each end up.

Now the big topic. Yes, I get there are ways to allow both Will and Cassandra to be together while remaining in the military, but like you said they have to be in different chains of command. They don't WANT to be in different chains of command, however, and that's why they're keeping it under wraps. As for the last name bit, I have a plan if the two actually stay with each other, since I am open to just about any romance besides guy on guy and Ashley. Don't find anything wrong with it, I just don't think I'd be good at writing it. And I don't like Ashley's romance.

Lastly, Will will try to use his foreknowledge, but that doesn't mean it will necessarily work in his favor.

**General-Joseph-Dickson: **Great name, but like I told Phoenix above you, I could rewrite the entire blitz so Shepard would be there instead of Will. I'm still not sure on where I want them to end up.

**Tylerbamafan34: **Yay! A thumbs up! Lol. Anyway, I'm unsure of what the final pairings are going to be. I'm thinking mostly cannon stuff, things like Garrus and Tali getting together if Shepard didn't romance either of them, Jack and Miranda being in love but denying it completely, and Joker and EDI's strange yet fitting relationship. But, like I said with PhoenixTsutani, Shepard and Will might not stay together and could end up romancing anyone. I'm still not sure how things will end up.

**AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS AND KEEP THEM COMING! I LOVE GETTING FEEDBACK AND IT DOESN'T GET ANY MORE DIRECT THAN FROM THE PEOPLE WHO ARE READING THE STORY! NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER INTERUPTIONS, CHAPTER 4!**

**CHAPTER 4**

**_You do care._**

**_You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it._**

* * *

**MACAPÁ RECRUIT TRANING DEPOT, EARTH**

**JUNE 1****st****, 2173**

It's been five months since our first exercise on Titan. The exercise that landed me here, on my way to the shuttle that would whisk me away to one of the most prestigious military academies on earth. The only one that trained the elite of the elite, on how to be even more deadly. A place so prestigious that by just receiving a commendation to attend was more valuable than being accepted to Harvard, Princeton, AND Yale.

I suppose I should take a step back. Let whoever's reading this godforsaken story catch up on what's happened in those five months.

After the simulation had finished, I had learned that third squad had all 'died', but not because of any fault of ours. The simulation had dictated a full scale meteor shower that whipped out the immobile defenders, and had taken out the rest of the mechs. I wasn't complaining, mostly due to being exhausted from the hours of combat we had to endure, the overuse of my new biotic ability, AND the soreness from that damned explosion. (So glad I didn't end up doing whatever Cassandra had though up) And I'll be damned before anyone says that I didn't see Ellison crack the smallest of smiles when he told us we had passed better than he had ever thought we would.

Right before he sent us out to a low-grav arena to get use to the change in gravity the only way he knew how. Hours of physical training.

We ended up spending a month there, alternating between various low-grav and high-grav simulations. It's also where we ended up doing our vehicle certification testing for the M-35 Mako and the M-29 Grizzly. While everyone had an easy time with the Grizzly, Cassandra didn't do so well with the Mako.

Somehow, she got access to the thrusters, which had been disabled in all tests other than the orbital re-entry test and an obstacle course. She then proceeded to jump up to dodge simulated rockets and to smash the targets beneath her when she landed, giggling evilly the entire time.

Although, that paled in comparison to her unquenchable desire to drive the damn thing off a cliff, somehow rig the formerly disabled thrusters to put out three times the thrust, and proceeded to FLY AROUND, SHOOTING ANYTHING THAT MOVED.

Her only defense when asked why she had done that?

"Well, it's not my fault if there's only six petals when there's eight directions!"

I quickly refused to ever ride with her behind the wheel, as did literally everyone else at the outpost. Staff included.

After we had returned to Macapá, It was still more physical training, but with several candidates, myself included, being brought to officer training. We were drilled in groundside tactics, force deployments, and a whole crapload of other skills. This proceeded on for the next three months, which brings us to now.

Just three days ago I had been handed a letter. Not just a datapad with a message, a full-fledged, hand written and signed letter on actual paper. Something that almost never happened anymore with near instant messaging and real-time vid calls taking place over half the galaxy away.

So naturally, when getting a letter, EVERYONE wants to see what it says. I probably held the letter for all of three seconds before it was snatched out of my hands and the questions started coming.

"Who still writes letters anymore?"

"Who's it from? Some secret lover?"

"What's it say? What's it say!"

"TITANS!"

"DAMN IT JEAGER! KNOCK IT OFF!"

"Give me the damn letter and I'll read it out loud!" I yelled, snatching the letter from Jayce's hands. It didn't have any markings on it whatsoever. Just a plane white envelope with the only words on it indicating it was for me. No sender or return address at all.

I carefully opened it, not wanting to accidentally rip whatever was inside it like I use to do back in my old home. That and getting a letter in this day and age meant it had to be important, so I didn't want to tear it apart. Giving it a once over, it read:

* * *

**To: Service Chief William J. May, SN: 7993-WM-2816**

**From: Director of Operations General Yang W. Rose, SN: 1924-GN-3591**

**Subject: Congratulations**

William,

Congratulations are in order. Of the thousands of names put forward during this season's graduation, you are one of twenty individuals selected to receive this N7 Commendation. This does not make you an N7 on the spot, but shows that an N7 operative thinks you have what it takes to receive special training at the Interplanetary Combatives Academy, commonly called _The Vila_. Should you accept this offer, you will continue your training in ways that normal soldiers would find hellish.

Undoubtedly, you are confused as to why you have received this letter, as normal commendations are given via message or in person. However, you are unique in that you have drawn the attention of many high ranking officers, including myself. We all want to make you into the best soldier we can, and that means giving you a commendation and invitation to N-school.

There are many senior brass watching you, don't disappoint.

General Rose.

* * *

"I got an N7 commendation." I muttered, everyone's eyes trained on me. "I'm being asked to attend N-school at the Villa."

"…"

"You guys don't seem that happy…"

"We were hoping for a dirty letter." Jayce complained. "Not whatever that is."

If I hadn't seen the twitch in his lips, I would have needed a body bag after I was done with him. Thankfully for him, I did see it.

"Yeah, I'm kinda upset too. Would have been great to tease Cassandra with." I said, keeping my face as neutral as possible.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get plenty of those from wherever that Villa place is." Johnson tossed his two bits in. "Though, it won't compare to how many I get."

"Please, I'll bet you don't even have one!" Lilly spoke up before addressing all of us. "Are you all seriously not getting what this means?"

"Pfft, if it means I get more of the spotlight with Romeo gone, then I'm all for it!" Johnson teased.

"Same here. Maybe now I'll be able to get some proper rest at night." Jayce jabbed before being smacked by Lilly. "AH! Not so hard ya pipsqueak!"

"This means you get to make bigger explosions, yes?" Markov asked, getting a nod in reply. "Then there should not be question. You go, you get to make bigger explosions! Better fights! Who cares about words from women?"

"I think we're all just trying to downplay the excitement with shitty humor." I told Markov, patting him on the shoulder. "Of course I'm going! I'd be stupid not to go."

"Go where?" Cassandra asked from the doorway.

"Got a letter from General Rose." I said. "Gave me an N7 commendation and is asking me to keep training at N-school."

"DAMN IT!" she yelled.

"What's wrong with that?" I asked.

"It means I owe you a damn beer!" wait, did she not get in?! Shepard being an N7 is basically one of the main points of the games!

"What, you didn't get in?"

"No I did." Phew. "At least I think I did." Damn it! "Haven't opened the letter yet."

"Well what are ya waiting for? Open it!"

* * *

Long story short, Cassandra's letter was more or less the same as mine. The next day was the "graduation ceremony" for all the recruits, where everyone learned where they were to be posted.

Johnson, unsurprisingly, ended up being asked to work alongside Ellison. The two had developed a mutual respect for each other's sadistic glee when they saw people crawling through the mud, and Ellison quickly learned that Johnson had plenty of new ideas to… 'persuade' the rookies who didn't belong to leave. He received a promotion to Gunnery Chief and happily took the posting.

Markov was posted to the SSV London, a cruiser that was in need of a new explosives expert. Markov had fit the bill perfectly, and in a rare show of emotion, actually shed a tear when he learned he wasn't going to be with anyone else from the team. He nearly crushed Jayce in a bear hug when Jayce put a hand on his shoulder and told him: "It's alright big guy. We'll be sure to keep in touch-ACK!"

After recovering, Jayce learned he was being posted on Terra Nova alongside Lilly. There had been a large discovery of platinum on the planet, which had caused a rush of people to flock to the planet. As such, they were now in much greater need of capable personnel to help keep the planet and its cities secure. Since they both had been in officer's training, but didn't complete it due to a schedule mix-up that wasn't their fault, they were promoted to Operations Chiefs until their training could be completed.

If Cassandra and I weren't going to the Villa for more training, we were going to be deployed to the SSV Tokyo, a cruiser that was currently being commanded by one Captain Anderson. Go figure he would try to get both of us on his ship if we didn't go to N-School. I ended up sending him a message, thanking him for giving us chance at a nice posting if we declined N-School. Cassandra was a little put off by the posting, saying she didn't want special treatment.

* * *

"Its not special treatment. He just wants to make sure we don't end up at some backwater shithole doing fuck all." I tried persuading her. "It's not about anything you've done, or if he thinks your special. He just doesn't want you to be wasted by the idiots who manage deployments."

"I guess your right… I just wish people didn't think of me as something special." She said, continuing her self-loathing.

"Cassandra you are special in a whole number of ways. People see you as a leader, others as someone who gets the job done. They see you as someone to rally behind, a person who can't be broken. And most important, someone to love." I whispered in her ear as I hugged her. "You'll always be special to me. Even if we decide that US won't work out, it won't change how I think of you."

"And what is that?"

"What's what?"

"How you think of me."

"OH!" I laughed. "Sorry. Well, to me you're a one-of-a-kind girls that only comes around once a few thousand years. A kind-hearted individual with a strong sense of right and wrong. Someone who's not afraid of getting their hands dirty, but only for the right reasons."

I looked her in the eyes and continued. "You're a very caring person, and would go out of your way to help someone in need, but I think that's also your greatest weakness. You might end up being tricked into helping those who don't need help and end up being used."

Cassandra was silently nodding her head. Not a lot, but enough to show that while she acknowledged what I was saying, she might not have fully agreed with it. After a minute of silence, she looked at me. "What, is that it?"

"Well, you got an amazing ass." I teased, getting slugged in the arm as a reward. "Ahh, damn that punch of yours!"

"Baby." She grinned.

"Like hell. Go punch a force meter. I want to know just how badly I need to start avoiding your attacks."

"Can we get back on track?"

"As soon as feeling returns to my arm, sure." I mumbled, making her raise her arm as a threat. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"

I continued listing off just about everything I could think of about her, leaving out any hints of what may or may not do in the future. It was during that time I realized just how difficult my future was going to be. Between Saren, the Collectors, and the Reapers, I was in for a rough thirteen years, with no real way to tell anyone what we were going to be facing.

* * *

I also realized much later; during the quiet shuttle ride to N-school, that I hadn't been told if I was supposed to keep my knowledge hidden from everyone, or if I could actually try and have people believe me. And what about the events leading up to and during the games? Would those stay the same? Would they only have minor changes or be heavily changed?

My mind was so wrapped up in these thoughts I started documenting what I knew would happen on my Omni-tool. I knew I'd have to be careful when Kasumi came onboard, if she came onboard, during the suicide mission. Well, her and EDI, though EDI could probably be reasoned with when it came to a private journal.

I smiled as I continued to write, honestly looking forward to what the future held. Sure, it'd be hell, but already things were vastly different than the games. I just hoped I could get along with mostly everyone, which shouldn't be too hard considering I knew most of the dialog. It's not like I played the game over a hundred different times… right?

Damn that sounds pathetic. Even in my own head.

Still, the fact remained that I was going to end up meeting some seriously awesome and badass people. Between Tali's timidness, Garrus' desire for vigilantly justice, Miranda's ice queen persona, and Jack's desire to kill literally everything, I was really looking forward to the future. Well, maybe not Jack…

The shuttle landing shook me from my thoughts and I mentally groaned. 'This is, what, the third time that's happened? Fuck shuttles.'

* * *

**Interplanetary Combatives Academy, Codenamed: ****_The Vila_****, Earth**

**June 1****st****, 2173**

First thing through my mind as he shuttle door opened was how surprisingly cool it was temperature wise. Being only a short ride (relatively speaking) from Macapá, and the fact this was freeking Rio de Janeiro, I was expecting a wave of heat to come in and flood the air-conditioned shuttle. Instead I was greeted by a cool breeze that, while warmer than the AC shuttle, was still refreshing. If I had to guess, due largely to a lack of a thermometer, I'd say it was probably 70 degrees Fahrenheit, or for you Celsius people 21 degrees.

The very next thing I noticed was that I wasn't indoors, which would have explained the nice, comfortable air. Between the sounds of aircars, markets selling various goods, and birds chirping, I was getting thoroughly confused as to why the hell it felt so nice out. There just wasn't the feeling of this being the most prestigious military academy in Alliance space.

Then I stepped into the sunlight.

"What the hell just happened?" I complained quietly as sweat quickly started forming on my head and neck. "Feels like I just stepped into the damn sun!"

"I hear ya." Cassandra agreed, whipping her forehead of the sweat that had already accumulated there. "Let's get moving so we don't have to stand in the sunlight anymore."

She got no complaint from me about that decision, and once we reached the safety of the shade, the intense heat we had felt vanished almost immediately, leaving us both completely confused.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING OVER HERE?" Someone yelled, annoyingly close to my ears. "I DID NOT GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO STAND IN THE SHADE!"

"Sir!" I saluted as I turned and got a look at him, him being a Staff Lieutenant in the uniform of a drill instructor. "You did not order us to stand in the sunlight either! As such, we decided to stand in the shade sir!"

"SO JUST BECAUSE YOU WERN"T ORDERED TO DO SOMETHING, YOU THINK THAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT?"

"Sir!" Cassandra spoke up this time. "We are trained to be ready for anything and to take any advantage! If that means standing in the shade over standing in the sunlight, then we stand in the shade sir!"

"And if the advantage is in the sunlight, we stand in the sunlight sir!" I continued without pause. "Any advantage, always ready! That's why we are marines, serving in the best military in the galaxy sir!"

* * *

A slow clapping was heard over the approaching footsteps of a new individual. This person, a woman, looked like she was young, probably mid-twenties but felt like she was older, around the mid-forties. She stood tall despite being only an inch taller than me, with seemingly pale skin, lilac colored eyes, and long, messy blond hair that was clearly beyond what regulations allowed. That was quickly dismissed, however, when one took in her uniform. A standard female dress uniform, but with far more combinations and campaign medals than it could hold (mostly due to the woman's… assets) and the clear eagle insignia that let everyone know just who she was.

General Yang W. Rose.

"Well, well, well. Looks like there's hope for you two to become more than mindless drones after all." She said as she finished clapping. A thin smile slowly spread across her face. "Let's hope you make it through this hellhole."

"Mam! Permission to speak freely." I asked, getting raised eyebrows from Cassandra and the General, mostly from confusion as to why I would ask that.

"Granted."

I smiled. "I've already gone through hell at Macapá and came out unbent. Good luck getting me to break."

Silence filled the air for a few seconds, and it felt like the tension was thicker than the earth itself. General Rose's eyes were locked onto mine, and I returned her stare unblinking. Finally, after what seemed like forever to my eyes, she blinked and laughed.

"You've got balls boy." She said, her grin returning, but now looking far more predatory than the pleasant one she had walking up to us. "Few people have enough of them to make a claim like that to the person who can make their life even worse."

"I came here to be the best I could be. Anything you throw at me will just make me better." I spoke simply. "And like I told you. Good luck breaking me."

General Rose stepped closer, only inches away from my face. Her eyes, seemingly doing the impossible by changing from their lilac color to a dark red, searched my face. What they were looking for, I didn't know, and was almost afraid to find out. Almost.

"Take a holo. It'll last longer." Damn you self-control. Why couldn't you just let her do whatever she was doing!

A split second after those words left my mouth, a fist slammed straight into a barrier I always keep up. It's not the strongest of barriers, but not weak either. I'd been keeping it up as a form of endurance training. Being able to stop a sniper from killing me during training ended up coming in handy, but left me exhausted. As keeping the barrier up got easier, I made it stronger.

Unfortunately for me, the Generals fist broke right through it, but thankfully managed to slow it enough that it only knocked me on my ass, instead of breaking my jaw. Before I could do anything, I found myself being yanked up and held there by the General herself.

"You. My office. One hour." She demanded, her eyes still red and her golden hair seemed to be crackling with fire, but I was sure that last part was just a trick on the eyes. "You don't show up, you're out of here."

With that said, she calmly threw me up against one of the pillars that was nearby… with enough force to make the stone support crack. If it wasn't for my second barrier, which was as strong as I could make it, I probably would have some serious internal injuries.

* * *

Cassandra, clearly worried about me, all but shoved her way to me through the crowd that had quickly surrounded me, clearing everyone away with some not-so-subtle threats. Some of which might have included missing genitals, though I could be wrong. After all, I had just been casually thrown into and cracked a stone pillar.

"Will, you ok?" she asked, her hands cautiously reaching out to check me over. "Anything broken? Pain? Discomfort?"

"Yeah, I got some discomfort." I groaned. "Now there's two women who can hit me like a freight train."

Her response was to hit me. "Damn it Will! You almost broke a solid stone pillar with nothing but your body! This isn't the time for jokes!"

"So your solution is to hit the injured person." I groaned again, though this was from my own idiocy of not having my barrier up still. "Clearly you missed your true calling as a medical professional."

"Will…" she growled.

"Relax." I whispered. "Other than where you hit me, I'm fine. There's a reason I always try to keep my barriers up."

"Then don't worry me like that! Why did you even say those things? You had to have known what would happen!"

"Yeah. Yeah I had an idea of what would happen." I said to her before mumbling. "Now let's hope I was right."

The medical team arrived quickly, though that was hardly a surprise. This was a prestigious military training academy. Any accident would require near immediate medical treatment of injuries that could, at best cripple, at worst kill. What was a surprise, however, was for everyone, besides Cassandra that is, to see me stand up and dust myself off. Turns out that acting like nothing had happened after being tossed around like a ragdoll by the commanding officer of the base isn't the normal reaction.

* * *

After that whole fiasco was over with, the lieutenant quickly (I think he was terrified of what he just saw) brought us to our bunks before promptly leaving. With half an hour till my meeting with the pissed off General, and no idea where her office was, I figured I should head out and find it. Cassandra offered to come with me, but an instructor walked in and started barking out orders. After quickly telling him what I was doing, he eagerly kicked me out so his ass wouldn't get chewed like mine was about to.

That left me wandering a large facility, which had very few maps, trying to find the CO's office. It didn't help that the primary form to learn the base layout was the tour that Cassandra was on. It also didn't help that an order had apparently gone out telling all base personnel to not help me whatsoever.

"Helpful people, everywhere I go." I muttered.

Eventually I got lucky and found the General's office, and not a second too soon. As I pinged the door control to open, the very last second of my hour ticked off. The door opened and I walked in.

Only to stand in the doorway completely confused. It wasn't why I was there, that much was obvious. Get yelled at, be forced through even more grueling drills and exercises without the benefits others had, reduced relaxation time, and leave being a better, stronger soldier.

No, I was confused by the room I found myself looking at. Don't get me wrong, it was still an office, complete with bookshelves, an old wooden desk with papers and a computer, floor to ceiling windows behind the desk. All of that was normal.

It was the massive amounts of gym equipment that had me confused. Every piece of equipment necessary to tone every single muscle in a human's body were sitting in organized stations throughout the room. I even recognized some biotic exercise equipment of all things, but what confused me the most was the full scale, MMA style fighter's cage.

Realizing I was still standing in the doorway, I saluted. "Permission to enter mam?"

"Granted" I her the reply, though I couldn't see the body the voice belonged to anywhere.

I started to walk around, taking in as much as I could while trying to clear the confusion in my head. Every piece of equipment had been expertly taken care of. Everything was wiped down, cleaned, oiled and lubed for maximum efficiency. They all looked like they hadn't been used before, which only added to my confusion.

A clang of metal on metal, the sound of weights dropping on top of more weights, echoed through the room, causing my head to snap in the direction I thought it had come from. Following the noise, I was rewarded with finding the woman who had summoned me.

Her attire had changed drastically since I had seen her last. Gone was the military dress uniform, and in its place was an orange sports bra and black workout sweatpants. Here entire body was glistening in sweat as she used the chest press machine.

Not wanting to be distracted by her appearance, I started the conversation. "You told me to be here mam?"

"Yup." She answered, continuing her workout. "And not a second too soon or late, just like I asked."

"It was your order after all."

She raised an eyebrow. "And if it had come from someone else?"

"That would have depended on the person and their rank."

"Oh really?" She asked, a thin smile spreading across her face. "Explain."

"Regardless of the person, if they are of a higher rank I would do as they asked." I explained. "However, quality and efficiency would change based on how I felt about the person. If they didn't have my respect, things would be different."

"And if the person is of lower rank?"

"If I respect them, I would do as they say. Otherwise id tell them off."

"And where do I fall?" Ahh, here we go.

"I'm not sure yet mam. So far, I can only say good things." That got her to pause her work out and look at me.

"You mean to tell me that, despite being knocked on your ass and thrown into a stone pillar, you would only say good things about me?" She laughed. "Boy, you're insane."

"Have to be mam. I'm an Alliance marine and a Vanguard."

"I could tell that last part by your barrier's strength alone" She admitted. "Few human biotics barriers can do anything to my punches. Even fewer can actually slow down my punch. You've got talent kid."

"Mam, if I may ask." I paused, getting a nod to continue. "Why did you order me here? It clearly isn't to yell at me."

"Tell me why you think that." She said, continuing her workout.

"Well, there's the fact you haven't raised your voice, both now and during the incident. You're also hardly paying attention to me and focusing more on your work out." I informed her. "Plus you pulled your punch."

There was a loud clang as the General stopped her workout abruptly, her head snapping towards me. "I pulled my punch?"

"And your throw." I added.

"Why the hell do you think that?" She asked, leaning forward and resting her arms on her legs.

"Because of the biotic exercise equipment over there." I pointed to the nearest machine, designed to steadily increase weight while being lifted by the user's biotics in an effort to train the user to lift heavier objects. I was currently able to lift 110 kilos, or 242 pounds. "If you were aiming to hurt me, you would have put your biotics into your punch. From a machine I saw walking in, it would have tripled the force of your hit."

General Rose, much to her credit, only let her mask drop for a fraction of a second, but that was all it took to get a read on her. Her eyes were light up with surprise and interest, while her mouth twitched up in amusement. There never was a fight to begin with. All I had done was given her an excuse to get us alone.

"That's right. I pulled my punches." She admitted, standing and stretching. Oddly enough, she kind of resembled a cat as she stretched. "I wanted to see what you were made of. You have quite the record already."

She started walking towards the MMA Cage, and indicated I should follow. "Excellent leadership qualities, a cool head under fire, and the loyalty of the men and women you were put in charge of. There are statements in you record from all your former fellow trainees, as well as your instructors. To top it all off, you enacted an additional exercise routine for your biotics completely on your own while getting top or near top scores in almost everything."

We reached the cage, and I expected her to go around it. Her desk was on the other side after all. Instead, she walked up the steps and opened the door to the ring, waving a hand to indicate I was to enter. Knowing the hell I was about to go through, I entered the ring.

"Everything points to you being one of the best soldiers ever trained by the Alliance. Even your rivalry slash relationship with Cassandra Shepard helps you out." She must have seen me tense up at the mention of relationship, because she started laughing. "Pfft, what, you though I didn't know? Hell, just about everyone back at your training grounds knew you two were together. It was allowed because it wasn't a hindrance to the unit, and only increased each of your drives to be better. And I'll continue to allow it here."

"Thank you. I promise it won't be a distraction." I said. "And if it does I'll end it."

"I doubt that will be necessary." She waved her hand as she shut the cage door. "I do appreciate how dedicated you are to the Alliance. Though I can tell you now, that after you complete your training here, you two will likely be separated."

"We've figured that much. Besides, Cassandra wouldn't like the special treatment we'd get." I admitted. "So, mind telling me why were in an MMA cage? Or is it for the obvious reason?"

Her grin shifting back to its predatory form, she answered "for the obvious reason, of course. I'd be lying if there wasn't other reasons but I'm afraid I can't disclose them. At least not yet."

"Oh this is just great." I laughed. "First day here, and I've already been tossed around like a ragdoll and have gotten into two fights with the base's CO. Don't tell me this is going on my record or something."

Instead of answering immediately, General Rose tossed me some protective gloves. The kind of gloves that mostly just make sure your hands don't get cut and bleed, and gave only a small amount of cushion when they connected with your face. The Generals were a bright orange, while mine were Alliance blue.

"No rules other than no biotics and attempts to seriously injure." She said, donning her gloves. "Don't want you to be too injured to train."

"I'll admit I'm not the best in hand-to-hand, but I can hold my own." I said, getting into my fighting stance. My feet a shoulder's width apart, left foot forward slightly, left fist slightly in front of the right, knees bent. Focus on breathing. In through the nose, hold, out through the mouth.

Opening my eyes, which had been closed since I had gotten into my stance, I had just enough time to register the fist rocketing towards my face before it connected. Instead of continuing to stand there, I let my body go limp, letting the momentum behind the punch push me more that it should have.

Rolling onto the ground, I quickly stood and threw an uppercut. I was close, feeling the 'skin' of the gloves brush up against her nose, and immediately attempted to kick her stomach.

That landed, but because she was already moving back to dodge my uppercut it didn't have the force to do much more than wind her slightly. We both resumed our stances and started to slowly circle each other, each of us tossing occasional jabs to test the other.

And then I got distracted. Of all the things that could have happened to cause me to lose focus, it had to be something stupid like this. I would have much rather had a Krogan come charging in, demanding to fight the winner. It would have made more sense for me to be distracted by that.

Instead I was distracted by a damned cat.

Granted, it wasn't that I had just noticed it and dropped my guard. Oh no. I was being attacked by both General Rose AND her cat, who at this moment was dead set on clawing my eyes out.

"Yeah! Get'em Blake! Go for the eyes!" she cheered on between fits of laughter. Clearly she was enjoying herself.

"What happened to 'not too injured to train'?!" I yelled, pulling the cat off and holding it at arm's length. "And why the hell do you have a cat?"

"Hey!" she exclaimed, snatching the cat from my hands. "Blake here is a noble ninja! Not just a cat!"

My mind was spinning now. "Wait, let me get this straight. You, Yang Rose, have a cat named Blake."

"Yeahhhh?"

"What's your middle name?"

The General looked suspiciously at me. "Weiss. Why?"

I busted out laughing, only getting an even more confused and suspicious looks from her and her cat. After a few minutes, I managed to recover myself. "Ahhh, sorry about that. It's just… There was this really old show called RWBY."

At the mention of that, General Rose's eyes snapped open. Even the cats eyes opened more than they had been, both their eyes trained on me.

"It was a really great show." I continued, eyes still watery from my laughter. "The main character was named Ruby Rose. She had a sister named Yang Xiao Long, and two friends slash partners named Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna."

Suddenly I was being hoisted up, General Rose's eyes once again blood red, but this time, it was clear as day that here hair was on fire. "How do you know that?" She demanded. "I've checked everywhere for hints on where we came from and found nothing, then you show up and have an almost perfect knowledge of my friends!"

"Wait, you're saying… you're not from here?" I asked, slightly shocked.

Realizing just how badly she had messed up, she lowered me to my feet, her eyes refusing to meet mine as her mind franticly tried to figure out what to say. Figuring I should test her reaction something else, just to be sure she was the real deal, I spoke again.

"Where's your weapon? Ember Celica?"

That got her eyes to look back at me, only now I noticed they were filled with tears. "How do you know all of that?" she asked, her body trembling slightly.

'Well. She admitted she's from somewhere else. I might as well also.' I thought. 'It might even help her cope with being here.'

"I'll be perfectly honest with you. Its like I said, I watch it on a show called RWBY." Her eyes filled with more tears. "But that wasn't here. Like you, I come from somewhere else."

"A different world?"

"No, I'm from Earth." I clarified. "But not this timeline. I died in a skydiving accident, and Death himself brought me here. Where I'm from, your whole world was just a show, and this universe was just a game."

"My home is not just some show!" She yelled. Shit, should have realized she wouldn't like that part.

"I know that. Believe me I do." I said, putting a hand on her shoulder, only to feel a scorching heat radiating off of her, but instead of withdrawing my hand, I put a barrier around it to lessen the intensity of the heat. "All I'm saying is that, in my world, it was a show. My guess is that the 'show' in my world was just a window into yours, much like this universe was a game in mine."

"Wait, hold up. You said you died?"

"Yeah. Skydiving accident. It's also how I ended up here."

The now confirmed Yang Xiao Long looked at her cat. "Do we tell him?"

To my surprise, the cat actually meowed a few times. "Wait… is that…"

"Yeah." Yang said sadly. "Blake Belladonna."

Looking at Blake, I smiled. "Ninja's of love."

Blake quickly buried her head under her paws in embarrassment as Yang laughed her head off. "You're kidding! They actually showed that?"

"Yup. When your team is unpacking and re-arranging the room to work for everyone, there was a focus on Blake pulling out that book, looking around to see if anyone had seen, and quickly hid it." I said, laughing slightly as well. "Anyway, what was it you were asking Blake?"

Yang stopped laughing almost immediately, returning to her sad appearance. "We… we died as well. As far as we know, we weren't brought here by Death, we just sort of woke up here."

"But why is Bla-"

* * *

Grey. Everything was grey. There were no colors anywhere other than on Yang, Blake, and I. Blake, immediately frightened by the sudden change, ended up jumping onto Yang's back and started hissing. Yang herself quickly got into a fighter's stance.

"Relax you two. It's only Death."

_YOU SHOULD REALLY NOT BE THIS USE TO ME._

"Who said that?" Yang demanded. "Show yourself!"

_VERY WELL._

A dark mist slowly filled the room, floating towards the cage. It drifted through the openings, and when it reached the center of the ring, it started to condense until the tall hooded Grim Reaper we all loved to annoy was fully formed.

_IF YOU SAY ONE THING UNLESS OTHERWISE ASKED, I WILL MAKE YOU FEEL PAIN._

"Jeez. No need to be so hostile." I chuckled. It really was too easy to get Death riled up.

_I DO NOT GET 'RILED UP'_

"Keep telling yourself thatAAAHHH!"

_I DID WARN YOU._

"Death, you're an asshole."

"THAT'S DEATH?!" Yang yelled, backing away from the tall hooded figure before her. Blake was trying her hardest to stay behind Yang's head.

_INDEED. I AM DEATH. I HAVE COME HERE BECAUSE YOU TWO HAVE DRAWN MY ATTENTION._

"W-Why would we have drawn you attention?" Shit, is Yang scared? Well, it kind of made sense. She was meeting DEATH after all.

_BECAUSE YOU WERE NOT PART OF MY PLANS FOR THIS UNIVERSE. YOU RESIDE HERE, YET IT WAS NOT MY DOING THAT BROUGHT YOU HERE._

"So maybe it was some different form of death?" I pitched in.

_UNLIKELY, BUT POSSIBLE. THE FAUNUS DEATH WOULD HAVE INFORMED ME IF HE HAD BROUGHT ANYONE HERE._

Blake, upon hearing there was a Death Faunus, meowed a few times.

_YES, THERE IS A DEATH FAUNUS. THERE IS A VERSION OF ME FOR EVERY SPECIES THAT WILL EVER EXIST. I AM THE HUMAN'S DEATH._

Blake meowed a few more times.

_SADLY I CANNOT. I HOLD NO POWER OF ANY OTHER SPECIES, WHICH IS WHY I AM CONFUSED AS TO HOW THE TWO OF YOU BOTH ARIVED HERE. EVERY PERSONIFICATION OF DEATH INFORMS ONE ANOTHER OF THEIR PLANS IF THEY MOVE A BEING FROM ONE UNIVERSE TO ANOTHER. FOR A DEATH TO HAVE DONE SO WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE, AND BEING ABLE TO BRING A SPECIES WITHOUT ITS DEATH'S APPROVIAL, SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HAPPEN._

"So we have two people who shouldn't be here, but are, and no idea why." I recapped, clapping my hands when I finished. "What do we do about it?"

_NOTHING._

"WHAT?" Yang and I yelled, with Blake meowing loudly.

_YOU WILL CONTINUE TO GO FORWARD WITH THE PLAN. UNLESS I FIND OUT THAT THESE TWO WERE INTENDED TO BE A HINDERENCE, THEY WILL REAMAIN AS A FORM OF HELP FOR YOU TO CALL UPON._

Blake meowed again.

_I CAN HAVE THAT ARANGED._

"What did she ask?" I wondered out loud.

_SHE WISHED FOR ME TO BRING THE DEATH FAUNUS TO HER TO SEE IF IT CAN CHANGE HER BACK TO NORMAL._

"Oh. So when will… it… be here?"

_NOW_. Came a voice like Deaths, only this voice was slightly higher pitched. Spinning around, I saw another tall hooded figure, though this one's hood had cat ears poking out of it. _AND UNFORTUNATLY, I AM UNABLE TO CHANGE YOU BACK._

Blake meowed loudly, far more than once.

_THERE IS NO NEED TO USE SUCH LANGUAGE. I DID NOT BRING YOU HERE, SO I HAVE NO POWER OVER YOUR FORM. HOWEVER, I CAN ALLOW YOU TO SPEAK TO THOSE WHO YOU WISH WITHOUT HINDERENCE._

"Really?" Blake asked.

"Holy shit the cat's talking." I joked, before falling down in pain.

AGAIN, I DID WARN YOU.

"And again, you're an ass." I groaned, getting up. "Yang, you heard Blake too, right?"

"You have no idea how much I missed hearing your voice!" Well, she didn't hear me. Too busy nearly crushing Blake's cat body to death with a hug.

"Yang… can't… breath!"

"Sorry! I'm just so glad to hear you again!"

"Did you miss the Bella-booty?" I asked, and was surprised when I didn't feel any pain.

"What?" the two asked.

"Back in my world, people 'shipped' other character they thought would make a cute couple. They'd even go all out and make names for these 'ships' of theirs." I explained. "You two were one of the more popular 'couples' that people thought up, with a popular picture of yang saying she loved the Bella-booty with a pair of dark tinted sunglass on.

Blank stares were all I got in return.

"Yeah, I'll shut up now."

_I'M DEFINATLY KEEPING YOU TWO AROUND._

"Oh screw you DeatAHHHAHA!"

_WHILE HE ROLLS AROUND IN PAIN, ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU HOW YOUR GIFT WORKS._

"That would be greatly appreciated." Blake said, laughing slightly at the sight of me in pain.

_THE FOCUS OF THE GIFT IS TRUST. IF YOU ARE ABLE TO TRUST A PERSON WITH YOUR LIFE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TALK WITH THEM. IF YOU CHOSE TO, HOWEVER, YOU CAN STILL BE HEARD AS A CAT BY ANYONE YOU WANT._

"So, if I wanted to talk too just Yang, I could, and Will wouldn't be able to understand?"

_NO. BECAUSE WILL AND YANG ARE PRESENT, THEY WILL BE THE ONLY ONES TO ALWAYS HEAR YOU._

"Death's an asshole!" I chanted. "He is an assholAHHHGA"

_I'M STARTING TO THINK YOU'RE A MASOCIST._

"Fuck you Death."

"What is it they hope to accomplish?" Yang wondered out loud.

_THEY SEEK TO PREVENT THE DEATHS OF THIS CYCLE'S SPECIES._

"What?"

_IT WOULD BE BETTER TO HAVE WILL EXPLAIN IT. I MUST LEAVE, AS THERE ARE MANY FAUNUS WHO REQUIRE MY ATTENTION, BUT BEFORE I GO, I HAVE TWO THINGS I MUST TELL YOU BOTH. THEY ARE, LESS THAN PLEASNT._

Blake and Yang gulped together.

_I APPOLOGIZE, BUT I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BRING YOU BACK TO YOUR WORLD._

I ignored Death's pain-zap when I heard that and looked over towards Blake and Yang. Blake, being a cat, was extremely difficult to read, but even so it was clear she was upset at this news. Yang, however, looked absolutely devastated.

Unlike me, I had been relatively fine. Death needed me to do a job, and wouldn't have taken me if I couldn't do it. He had explained the circumstances and allowed me to come to terms with it, not that it had taken long. But these two, they didn't know who had brought them here, or why and how they did it. They searched for way to get back to their home, or even evidence that it existed, but found nothing. One of them was even stuck in a body that wasn't theirs. They were outsiders, through and through.

"And the second thing?" Yang managed to choke out. She was putting up a strong face, but her voice let it be known just how hard she was taking this.

_WHILE THEY SHALL NOT DIE FOR QUITE SOME TIME, THE OLDEST HUNTRESSES EVER RECORDED, YOU'RE FRIEND WEISS AND YOU'RE SISTER RUBY… WILL HAVE PAINFUL DEATHS._

That. That was over the line. It was bad enough that they were stuck here, trapped with no way to go home, but to tell them the future of the rest of their team, and that they die painfully? That was just unacceptable.

"Who the fuck do you think you are." I said, twitching slightly at the pain Death sent through me.

_DO YOU ADRESS ME, YOUNG ONE?_

"Your damn right I do. What right do you have to tell them that their friends and family die painful deaths! They just learned they were stuck here forever! Blake learned she's going to be a cat for her entire life! So what do you tell them last? That the last of their team dies painful deaths? FUCK YOU!"

_I FELT IN NECESSARRY TO INFORM THEM OF THOSE THAT THEY CARE FOR'S FUTURE, NO MATTER HOW UNPLEASNT._

"THEIRS A TIME AN A PLACE!" I roared, my entire face contorted from my anger. "AND THIS ISNT FUCKING IT! NOW GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

_I DO BELIEVE IT WOULD BE BEST FOR US TO LEAVE NOW._

_I AGREE. MAKE NO MISTAKE, I DO NOT TAKE PLEASURE IN DELIVERING THIS NEWS. I MEARLY WISHED TO LET YOU KNOW._

"Just leave." Yang said quietly, her eyes on the ground. The two versions of death simply nodded before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke. Slowly, as the smoke dissipated, color returned to the world, but everything still felt grey on the inside.

* * *

**YANG'S POV**

This wasn't fair. This wasn't fair at all. I've been stuck here with Blake for nearly twenty years, looking for any sign of our old world. Then Will comes in, knows not only about our world, but details of our very lives, lives that feel like they were a lifetime away, and suddenly, were being confronted by not one, but two versions of Death, each one telling us there was nothing they could do. No way to undo what happened to Blake's body.

No way to get back to Ruby.

That single thought was enough to cripple my entire body. I had always looked out for Ruby. It was my job as her older sister, but that's not why I had done it. I loved Ruby to death, and would gladly have died if it meant she would be safe.

That's how I got here, isn't it? Taking on a Nevermore alone so that Ruby could get more people into the shelter, but also to keep her away from the danger the giant bird represented. Unfortunately for Blake and me, the damn bird's talons ripped right through us.

And now it apparently didn't matter that Blake I had given Ruby and Weiss enough time to secure the shelter, saving them in the process. She was apparently going to die a painful death anyway. My body was trembling in a sea of emotions, but the biggest two were anger and sorrow.

It seemed like hours, but only a few seconds after I had started to tremble I felt a warmth surround me. Looking up, I was shocked to discover Will… hugging me. Was I so emotionally compromised that I didn't even feel his arms around me? That I couldn't even sense his presence? And why was he so… warm?

"It's alright." He soothingly whispered. "I know what it's like to lose family and friends. I might not know how it is to deal with knowing how they die, but I'll try my best to help you both."

I was about to say something before he whispered one last sentence, filled with enough sorrow that it made me finally break down.

"After all, no one should be alone."

* * *

**WILL'S POV, TWENTY MINUTES LATER**

That… had to be one of the hardest moments of my life. Seeing someone I knew (to a certain degree), someone who was normally so strong, break down like that? That was just… words couldn't begin to describe how I felt for those two.

Yang (we had agreed that, when it was just the three or two of us, to use first names) had wept into my shoulder for quite some time. I had felt fairly guilty about leaving Blake out of the sobfest, but after an attempt we both agreed it was too awkward to try again. In the end, Blake ended up curling up in Yang's lap.

Then I started explaining. How I was brought here, what death had told me, and most importantly; what I knew was going to happen. At first they didn't believe it, but with the sheer about of details I poured into it, based on my experiences from playing the games, it left very little doubt in their minds when I had finished and the both agreed to help, if only to give their lives purpose again.

Blake had come to the same conclusion I had, that things might very well be different due to just my presence, but with their presence things might change drastically. I promised I would continue to fill my little journal with any information I could remember and share it with them.

I also had requested much more intense training, both for myself and Cassandra. A Shepard was always the leader in the games and fanfics, even if they shared power with someone else. After I explained it, Yang realized just how important Cassandra was and quickly agreed to the more intense training. She said she had some ideas that she'd need to talk about with her superiors, but she had high hopes for whatever it was.

Personally I was absolutely terrified of whatever she was planning. Yang, a General, thinking of something. This could only end in pain.

"Well, I can tell you're not getting kicked out." Cassandra called out as I entered the bunkhouse, which was a huge step up from the one back at Macapá. These bunkhouses had working air conditioning. As Cassandra saw my face as I walked over, she continued speaking. "Christ Will, you look like you went through the wringer. What the hell happened?"

"Classified." I groaned, flopping down on my bed, yet again beneath Cassandra's. "Make any new friends?"

"Nah." Came the reply. "Apparently after we graduate from being N1's most of the trainings off world. We'll be lucky to see anyone we know out there."

"Wonderful."

"Are you ok? You know I worry about you."

"Just tired. And worrying about me is probably the last thing you should be doing." I moaned out through my pillow. Damn this bed was comfortable.

"Great. What'd you drag me into this time?"

"That's rich, coming from you." And I didn't do a damn thing really. You were stuck on this path to begin with.

Her head popped down over the side of her bed. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"That half the time I'm the one getting dragged into trouble by you." I explained. "Honestly, how you didn't realize that on your own is beyond me. Anyway, General Y-Rose wants to meet with me again tomorrow."

"Did she say why?" Phew, she didn't catch that.

"Nope. She's a General. I'm just a lowly service chief." Though with Yang in on this galactic mess, I wonder how long that will remain true. The fact that didn't say why was also untrue. Amongst other reasons, Yang and Blake wanted to continue going over my knowledge of the future and think up plans that could be used if things didn't go the way they were supposed to. She was even getting me out of quite a bit of training, as we didn't know how long we would take.

_"__All initiates, please report to the auditorium. I repeat, all initiates are to report to the auditorium."_ A lifeless female voice spoke over the academy's intercom, indicating it was a VI speaking, not anyone living.

"Damn it." I complained, pushing myself up from the bed. "I was just getting comfortable!"

* * *

"Auditorium my ass." I muttered just loud enough for Cassandra to hear. "This place puts the David H. Koch Theater in New York to shame!"

"You've been there?" Cassandra asked. I didn't blame the look of surprise all over her face. Up to this point, I had been a bit of a meathead trying to get into shape and finish catching up with everyone else, so I hadn't really had all that much time to talk about my past. Not that I probably would have anyway, seeing as I had yet to send ANY form of message to my 'family.'

"Once. Summer after freshman year of high school. Was on a trip with my youth group and we ended up getting a tour of the building." I explained. "We watched some play at some other location I don't remember."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Just never pegged you as that sort of guy." She said as we walked towards some empty seats.

"I'm the type of guy that will try most things at least once, though I wasn't always like that." I laughed. "Hell, I use to be the pickiest child when it came to food."

Cassandra chuckled as well. "For some reason, that doesn't really surprise me."

"Jerk." I smiled.

"Bitch." She replied.

A loud screeching sound coming from the speakers throughout the 'auditorium' but quickly went away. When I looked up towards the stage and saw Yan… I mean General Rose, standing with an old fashioned wireless microphone up against the speakers, I was less than surprised.

She stood there looking out at those of us who had arrived, seemingly searching for someone until her eyes landed on me. A feint smile formed and she gave a small nod, which I returned. Tossing the microphone behind her, its job of getting attention over with, she walked towards the center of the stage.

"I'll try to keep this brief." I mentally groaned. If she started ripping of her headmaster's intro speech I was likely to run up and punch her. "But with the threat of questions, I might not be able to." Damn it, she did that on purpose!

"Let's start out with congratulations." She continued. "You have all been selected, by your physical or mental skills, because you are the best. You've been chosen to, in some cases, continue your training. For others, its back to the hell you though you left."

"Make no mistake, this is a grand achievement. By simply being chosen to attend ICT, you have done more for your family's name than most can ever claim. This honor is more prestigious than graduating from Harvard AND Yale as valedictorian… both times. If any of you make it to the rank of N7, you will have received more recognition than you would have back in the twenty-first century after receiving the American Medal of Honor twice! A feet only thirty one people managed to accomplish before the Alliance was founded! Take a moment and congratulate yourselves."

The murmurs between individuals were quite loud, and more than a couple of loud whoops were heard. Cassandra and I simply looked at each other and nodded, knowing what the other was thinking.

First one to N7 gets whatever the hell they want.

"Now, let's get back on track." General Yan… no, Rose…Fuck it I'm just going to call her Yang in my head. "And I hope you've all gotten that excitement out of your systems, because starting immediately after I'm done in here, you all get to go through initiation."

'As long as it's not like your initiation test, I think I'll manage.' I thought to myself, shivering slightly at the sadistic smile she had on her face as she listened to everyone's groaning.

"Now, now, settle down. You haven't even heard what this year's initiation test is." She chided. Everyone quieted down, though mostly from fear of what form of hell awaited them. "This year, I have recalled every active N7 graduate who could be pulled back. You're only goal is to survive for five minutes against an opponent of the same class as you."

Just like that, everyone was groaning again. No one meant any harm in it. This was just the marine's way of dealing with shit orders they didn't really want to obey, but would regardless of their feelings. It was likely also from going from respected posts or top of the class graduations to being FNG's (Fucking New Guy's) again.

"Furthermore," yang continued, somehow continuing to be heard over everyone's complaints, "anyone who manages to actually BEAT their instructor will automatically be granted the designation of N1, and will be shipped out to start their N2-6 training."

A hand was raised, and acknowledged by Yang, its owner stood up. "Mam, what happens after the five minute mark?"

"You keep trying to survive." Yang answered, receiving mumbled confusion from the audience. "Let me explain. Every single N7 has faced defeat, and I'm sure many of you have as well. You will continue to survive however you can until you lose or defeat your opponent. However, if you defeat your opponent after the five minute mark, you will not automatically receive the N1 designation. Likewise, if you lose after the five minute mark, you will have passed the test."

I raised my hand.

"Ahh, our resident trouble maker." I resent that! "You may speak."

"Mam, you said all active N7 personnel, correct?" I asked.

"Yes. Unless they were otherwise unable to return in time, all N7 classified personnel are here to be your… instructors."

"Does that include you mam?"

The 'auditorium' was silent for quite some time after I asked that. With no time-telling devices other than our Omni-tools, which we didn't use, we had no clue how long that silence remained, but it felt like hours. Yang's face was expressionless, not showing any reaction to my question. The only thing she did was lock eyes with mine. Then, her eyes flashed red. Just for an instant, if you blinked you would have missed it.

"Yes." She said finally, the thin, predatory smile I had seen upon arrival returning. "And it just so happened that you were be paired up with me."

Not one to let my worries affect my speech, I let my own grin show. Unlike Yang's fearsome, feral like grin, mine was a hunter's grin. I knew the most about her preferred form of combat, hand to hand with shotguns thrown in, and had a desire to continue our match from earlier that Blake had interrupted.

I think a laser pointer game of cat and mouse was in order when I next saw her.

"Looking forward to it mam." I said before sitting back down. Cassandra was looking at me like I was crazy (can't blame her), and that that's what Yang and I had discussed. I just mouthed 'no' to here, and that seemed to clear up at least the latter part, though the former was still in full effect.

"Lastly, a surprise." Yang continued. "There will be a special selection made from those who catch our eye during their initiation. I cannot say what we will be looking for, or what that group will be doing."

'Probably that idea she mentioned.' I thought. 'Better get in that group, if I'm not already.'

"Are there any questions?" a few hands were raised. "Any questions about anything other than the special selection?" aaaand down go the hands. "Alright. Then let this year's initiation tests begin!"

With that, Yang sprinted to the edge of the platform and jumped at me, her body glowing that blue/purple that indicated biotics, and her arm cocked back, ready to hit me. She clearly had no intention of letting me get away easily.

If I moved, she was likely to hit others with her landing. If I stayed and took the hit, I'd take unnecessary damage. A lose-lose situation if there ever was one.

I hoped option three worked.

* * *

**CLIFHANGER! HAHA!**

**Sorry about that, and the lack of fighting. I thought last chapter was good, or rather, I didn't get any complaints about it, so next chapter will be largely the fight. If I can make it last that long. **

**So about Yang and Blake being tossed in. Hopefully I'm not pushing people away with that. My goal with those two is, while mostly secretive, a way for Will to relax. Things haven't been tense, largely because Will (or rather, myself) is so easy going with things but he (I) am not always like that. There are times you just have to vent ya know? This time it was supporting Yang and Blake as they learned a shitty truth, but in the future it will be a lot more give and take. And like I (kinda) said, they will have a semi-important role to play. Their more than just some characters with names I tossed in.**

**Anyway, I got a shit-ton (or is it a fuck-load?) of homework to do before finals in a two weeks, so have a great time everyone! And as always…**

**LEAVE A REVIEW AND TELL ME HOW I DID!**


	5. My Leg!

**WOOO-HOOO! SCHOOL IS OUT FOR US COLLEGE FOLK! AND WITH THAT COMES THE FIFTH CHAPTER OF A MASS SELF INSERT! I KNOW THAT LAST TIME THINGS GOT A LITTLE… SURPRISING… WHEN IT CAME TO YANG AND BLAKE BEING INTRODUCED. SO LET ME SAY THIS NOW**

**_IF_**, THAT'S A BIG IF, I DECIDE TO PUT IN ANOTHER CHARACTER FROM ANY OTHER SORT OF PRODUCTION/GAME I WILL LET YOU KNOW BEFOREHAND.

IF A CHARACTER SIMPLY HAS A NAME THAT REFERENCES A DIFFERENT CHARACTER FROM ANYTHING OUTSIDE THIS STORY, IT'S JUST BECAUSE I NEEDED A NAME. THEY WILL BE, IN NO WAY, THE CHARACTER IN WHICH THEY ARE NAMED AFTER UNLESS I GIVE YOU ALL A HEADS UP.

**MORE THAN LIKELY, I WON'T BE PUTTING IN ANY OTHER CHARACTERS. LIKE I SAID IN THE END OF THE LAST CHAPTER, I HAVE A PLAN FOR YANG AND BLAKE.**

**ID ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THIS WON'T MAKE MY STORY A CROSSOVER. IT WILL BE EXPLAINED A BIT IN THE ACTUAL STORY, AND I'LL CLARIFY EVERYTHING DOWN AT THE BOTTOM, JUST SO WE'RE ALL CLEAR.**

**ALSO, THIS CHAPTER BRINGS UP SEVERAL MULTIPLAYER CHARACTERS, MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE N7 PLAYABLE CHARACTERS. I'LL EXPLAIN WHY THERE HERE NOW, SO READ THIS NEXT PART.**

* * *

**N7 SPECIALIZATIONS**

**THE WAY I SEE IT, ANYONE WHO MANAGED TO MAKE IT TO THE N7 DESIGNATION RECEIVED A CHANGE IN THEIR CLASSIFICATION, THAT BEING THEIR CLASS, SUCH AS SOLDIER, VANGUARD, ADEPT, ECT. BY GRADUATING, THOSE CHANGED TO DESTROYER, SLAYER, FURY, ECT. THIS WAS SOMETHING ONLY AVAILABLE TO THOSE WITH THE DESIGNATION OF N7, AND WAS OPTIONAL. THAT'S WHY IN THE GAME, SHEPARD'S CLASS WAS JUST SOLDIER, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BECAUSE HE/SHE DECLINED THE CHANGE IN NAME.**

* * *

**NOW, ON TO THE REVIEWS! LIKE LAST TIME, THERE IN THE ORDER I RECEIVED THEM.**

**General-joseph-dickson:** Glad you liked it

**Kamika111:** A Mary Sue? From my story? Why good sir I feel slightly offended! I believe you have issued me a challenge to my honor as a writer! Quite preposterous, the idea that my character, who I will admit is me minus my first name, could ever have any sort of Mary Sue qualities!

I'm just messing with ya man. I have no intentions on letting this story end up like that. Will there be a little bit of wish fulfillment? Absolutely, but this is fanfiction after all. If there wasn't some sort of wish fulfillment, then why would any writer write it? If it does go too deep, I trust you'll let me know though. Its never been my intention to have a super-powered, godlike monster of a man character crushing everything in its path.

**BioshockerN7:** Like I said up top, it is very unlikely that any other characters will pop up in anything other than just name, and if they do I'll be giving a heads up at minimum of one chapter beforehand.

**NisPi:** Well, I'm sorry to hear that. If everyone thought it was horrible id go back and re-write the chapter, but as far as the reviews I've gotten, people enjoyed the addition. Still, I hope you'll at least give the story a second chance.

**Anbufox771:** Thanks mate, glad you love it. Honestly, I was feeling iffy myself when they were tossed it, and I re-wrote it a few times. Originally it was going to be General Belladonna, who was Yang still but with Blake's last name, and no Blake anywhere in the story. And you can't wait for the next chapter? Well here it is my good sir!

**Cprime.3000:** Don't worry man, I understood it for the most part. I'm just glad to see people enjoying the out-of-nowhere addition going so smoothly.

**AlexisGrimm:** Don't hate it, embrace it! Give in to your inner geek! There is nothing shameful about it!

**Sterata: **Thanks for your review, but no, Blake will not be the first biotic cat. While it sounds interesting, like Jack's biotic varren, I don't think it would work well in practice.

**NaberRend: **Glad you're enjoying it! I know the whole multiverse thing is weird and screws with a lot of people, but it shouldn't be that wild honestly.

**I'VE COME TO REALIZE I HAVEN'T PUT ANY DISCLAIMERS OUT FOR ME OWNING ANYTHING IN THIS STORY. I HOPE IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS I OWN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN THIS. DESPITE ASKING SANTA FOR THE COPYRIGHT TO MASS EFFECT LAST CHRISTMAS, ALL I GOT WAS SOME SOCKS.**

**SO, OTHER THAN THE SOCKS, I OWN NOTHING.**

**NOW WITHOUT ANY MORE INTERRUPTIONS, HERES CHAPTER 5 OF A MASS SELF INSERT!**

**CHAPTER 5**

**MY LEG!**

**Interplanetary Combatives Academy, Codenamed: ****_The Vila_****, Earth**

**June 1****st****, 2173**

Everything was slow. If I had somehow ended up in the halo-verse, I'd say this is like Spartan-time, but I can't move my body at all. Instead, everything is moving slowly besides my mind in an attempt to figure out how the hell I get out of this situation: surviving Yang's assault.

There are those who say life only ever gives you two paths. You can run from your problems, or you can face them. It makes sense really, everything example could be argued into one of those two categories.

My options now, as Yang is lunging at me through the air ready to hit me, fall into one of those two categories. I can run from this problem, but that has the possibility to injure others besides myself. It wouldn't be intentional, and the chance of it happening is unlikely, but the possibility remains.

Option two is to take the hit. This would fall more into facing the problem, but also could be seen as running from it since I did nothing about it. Defiantly not my preferred course of action, but it's slightly better than the first.

Option three… face the problem head on. From our little sparing session earlier, she might be surprised to see me charge her. With her in the air, she has next to no way to maneuver, so my charge has basically a 0% miss chance. Still, I don't think this is the best choice.

Yang's fist is getting closer, and I'm still sitting in my seat, just like everyone else is besides a few people who were in the crazy General's path. I can see Cassandra, still sitting next to me. The look that says 'you're crazy' that was on her face last chapter has changed to 'holy shit you're going to die.' Not sure which one I felt better with.

Well, I guess it's time to act. Here's hoping option three works.

The signature biotic glow quickly surrounded me a second before I launched towards my mid-air target. Honestly, if I get stuck in that stupid glitch where a Vanguard Shepard gets stuck in mid-air after charging an opponent, I'll be pretty happy. Hell, I'd probably start singing 'I'm walking on sunshine' just for shits and giggles.

Contrary to what many people think, you don't have to be moving to perform a biotic charge. You just have to use whatever trigger you learned for that move. Does it help to be moving? Defiantly. You get a lot more force to transfer into your target that way. Now for me, I can use biotics _without_ a trigger motion.

However, because I was sitting when I charged, that's the form I stayed in when I slammed into Yang.

Imagine, if you will, seeing the Commander Shepard you've been playing as sitting in a chair. Now put a target in front of him and click whatever button you click to use your charge. If your picturing one Commander Shepard, sitting with their arms on their legs like they almost always do, suddenly hurtle into some being almost head first (for me it was the Turian Counselor), then that's what my charge looked like.

On the downside, I looked like a complete idiot, and would likely be the laughing stock of the base for quite some time, not that anyone's let down the 'parachute into a minefield' thing go. I was also likely in for one hell of a headache later.

On the plus side, I connected with her gut, so it wasn't like ramming into a damned mech or a rock wall. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as my charges had before. Plus, as an added effect, I ended up knocking all the air out of her.

Wait, more downsides. Now were both in the air, directly over people and chairs.

"Cassandra?" I asked after landing on my back, thankfully not on the backrest of a chair, but instead on the laps of two initiates.

"Bro, I think you hit your head." One of the people I landed on said, a male with short black hair was all I noticed.

"Fuck off. I'm not talking to you." I said, pushing my way up and into the walkway. "Cassandra! Promise me to NEVER let me do something as stupid as bioticly charging someone while SITTING ever again!"

Cassandra, it seems, wasn't listening due to her nearly dying of laughter in her seat alongside several others. Great. Just great.

A heavy throw collided with my back and sent me flying across the 'auditorium' and into some thankfully empty seats. Feeling my barrier weaken from the impact, I focused on getting that back up to strength for a second before getting up and sprinting my way out the door and into the twisting hallway's that made up the Interplanetary Combatives Academy. Seconds after pivoting outside the door to the right, a second heavy throw tore the doors off their hinges (I had been surprised to see old doors like that in a place like this) and threw them into the wall.

_'__Attention all personnel. Everyone non-essential to the imitation exams are hereby ordered to evacuate the base for the next twenty-four hours.'_ Yang's voice rang out over the base's intercom. _'All exam instructors, begin your tests whenever you feel you're ready.'_

Oh goody. The whole base just became Yang and I's playground. While still running, I keyed open a comm. channel to Yang. "Hey, I'm all for this fight, but what's your say to stopping for a minute and discussing things civilly?"

_"__If you can make it to my office, I'll consider it."_ She replied as the sound of rubber squeaking against the tiled floor was heard. Risking a quick glance as I turned a corner, my fears were confirmed. Yang was sprinting after me, dead set on making my trip to her office a living nightmare.

Lightening myself with my biotics, I tore down the hallways as fast as I could, taking as many turns as I could while still keeping on path to my pursuer's office. I quickly learned that, while Yang was frighteningly fast, she took corners horribly. At one such turn, she skidded into the continued hallway she had come from, only to grab onto the corner of the wall and throw herself around it.

Of course, the whole time she was letting loose her arsenal of biotic abilities, her favorites being her heavy throw and a ridiculously strong pull that managed to completely stop my momentum unless I bioticly made myself heavier before it hit.

I wasn't just letting her take shots at me though, I was giving almost as well as I got. At junctions where I would turn, I quickly tossed a shockwave down the hall. While Death's dice hadn't covered the ability specifically, the last die had technically allowed an open loophole for me to learn any biotic move, however after a bit of practice and testing, it was about as good as any 'level three' ability I had gotten from the dice. That meant that it didn't have range it normally would, stopping just short of Yang most of the time as she slowed herself down. It also lacked the power to toss someone like Yang off their feat, only able to make her stumble when I got lucky and hit her.

Then something strange happened. I turned a corner I knew would take me off the route to my destination, but Yang charged right through the intersection. It took me a minute to realize that she wasn't abandoning the chase, just going to fortify her office so I would have to come to her.

'Clever girl.' I thought with a grin as an idea quickly formed in my head. 'But not clever enough.'

* * *

**CASSANDRA'S POV**

**(GO UP AND READ THE N7 SPECILIZATION DESCRIPTION IF YOU HAVENT ALREADY. IT HELPS EXPLAIN THIS PART)**

Unlike the way Will's trial has started, the N7's that found themselves in the unfamiliar position of instructors had come in and found those they would be testing. Due to the differences in numbers amongst the N7's classifications and the initiates, there were several N7's with multiple people they had to test, and two N7's with no one to train.

I ended up alone with my instructor. Technically I was classified as a Soldier, but my preferences resembled that of an Infiltrator. Unfortunately, that meant nothing to whoever had selected my instructor, leaving me with an N7 Destroyer, the N7 equivalent of a Soldier.

"So let me get this straight." My 'instructor' started. "You trained to be an Infiltrator, but were given the designation soldier?"

"Yes sir." I confirmed. "The only reason I failed Infiltrator testing was due to my poor stealth skills. Every other section I passed with near perfect scores."

"If General Rose hadn't called me here personally, I'd swear this was another shit-storm posting from command." The man sighed. "I'd love the General's opinion on what to do with you, but she's… preoccupied."

"Yeah… kinda feel bad for Will."

"You know that poor soul?" The man laughed. "He's got guts, I'll give him that. If he survives, I personally would consider him an N3."

"She's that strong?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Well, she's strong, but that's not what makes her so formidable." The man clarified. "She's relentless. Even when her body's broken and bloodied, she doesn't stop. I've seen her beat down recruits after breaking several bones, then shrug off the medics saying she was fine. By the next day, she was perfectly healthy, acting like nothing had happened."

"That's what Will's facing?"

"Yup. But you should be worried about your trials."

"Trials?" I asked. "As in, more than one?"

"Yup!" The man turned around. "Hey Kristy! Come over here!"

One of the N7's who had no one, a girl who had remained in her combat gear like several other N7's had including her helmet, walked over. "What'cha need Fred?"

"Initiate here passed everything in the Infiltrator exam but the stealth portion, and ended up classed as a Soldier. Since the General's busy, I figured we should both test her."

"At the same time?" I asked. "Even I know when I'll be beaten guys."

"No, one at a time." The man, Fred, clarified. "We'll take it a bit easier on you, since it's the two of us. If you survive one of us but not the other, you'll get the designation from whom you beat. If you survive both of us, we'll talk to the General about it. Sound fair?"

"I guess." I shrugged. "Who's first?"

"We'll let you pick." The girl, Kristy, answered.

"Hmmmm." I pondered. "Let's go with-"

* * *

**WILL'S POV**

**FOUR MINUTES INTO TESTING**

"This is such a brilliant plan." I chastised myself. "How the hell did I think this one up?"

The wind kicked up slightly, causing me to tighten my grip or risk injury from falling. When Yang had stopped following me to go fortify her office, I had kept running along the path I turned down and ended up outside.

I then proceeded to do something I had never tried before after looking up on my Omni-tool where Yang's office was… something I realized should have done back when I thought I was in trouble. That didn't matter now as I was slowly scaling the side of the building. A building that was perfectly flat, with no hand holes for me to climb up.

Except for the ones I was making.

No, I wasn't punching the side of the building, I'd break my fist before that ever got me anywhere. Instead I was warping the stone walls into hand and foot holes. It wasn't a full force warp blast, but a concentrated one around my hands that allowed me to sculpt out the hole.

Regular warps shoot out a ball of biotic energy. When that energy collides with something, it creates rapidly shifting Mass Effect fields that shred apart whatever it came into contact with. Rather than outright ruining the structural integrity of the building by spamming warps (thank god I'm not wearing armor or carrying weapons. My recharge times are almost nonexistent!), I focused the warp into a more concentrated form. By doing so, and by not propelling it like in a normal warp, I could carefully carve out the hand holes I needed to scale the building. My only problem, Yang's office was on the top floor.

And the facility was a ten story building.

Sure, I knew I could have probably run off and hid somewhere until the five minutes were up, but I'd end up fighting Yang at some point regardless. She had said it herself, the test doesn't end until one of us is beaten.

She also said we could talk if I made it to her office. Well, she said she'd consider it, but I doubted she'd say no.

So, continue climbing I go.

* * *

**CASSANDRA'S POV**

**TEST START**

"You ready little girl?" Kristy teased. I ended up picking Fred as my first opponent, and Kristy was, more or less, the referee. My test? Survive a five minutes inside a boxing ring.

Apparently Fred enjoyed Close Quarters Battle (CQB), and used primarily a shotgun or assault rife in battle, but never was one to stray away from a fistfight. I had asked him why this was considered a test.

"Well, if you're going to be using your sniper primarily, what will you do when someone sneaks up on you?" He explained. "You won't have time to draw another weapon, so you'll have to use your fists."

I'll admit, his logic was sound, though it didn't help explain why this was his test.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I answered Kristy.

"Then begin!"

Fred shot forward, eager to close the distance and get the first punch in. In doing so, however, he didn't guard against my strike right to his gut.

Being smaller than your opponent has its advantages. Fred was a full head taller than I was, and defiantly worked out. I, on the other hand, was short (compared to him) and appeared to have deceivingly little muscle. After I had ducked under his punch and slamed my fist into his gut, Fred let out a large gasp of air before falling to the ground.

"Shit, is that is?" Kristy asked. "Come on Fred! One punch and you're out?"

Instead of answering verbally, Fred just raised a certain finger, aimed in the general direction of Kristy.

"Maybe I should figure out how hard I hit." I admitted sheepishly. "I thought will was just being a wimp."

"If you're hitting him with that much force," groaned Fred as he slowly stood up, "Then there might be some hope for him against the General. I don't think even she hits as hard as you do."

Grinning evilly, I said "Well then too bad for you buddy. I'm just getting warmed up. And until your girlfriend over there says otherwise, this match isn't over."

"Don't I know it." Fred growled before taking me by surprise and lunging at me.

* * *

**WILL'S POV**

**4:50 MINUTES INTO TESTING**

"Blake!" I half-yelled through the glass. "Blake! Come here!"

"WILL?!" Blake screeched, startled by my sudden appearance at the window of all things.

"Keep it down! Is Yang there?"

"She's waiting outside the door… How the hell did you get up here?!"

"It's the imitation test! Yang said if I made it to her office, she'd consider talking to me. Can you open the window?"

"Will, I'm a cat! I can't open a latch!"

"But their button operated."

"…Oh." She said, noticing the button after however long she had been living here. "I'll get right on it."

"You're a life saver!" I stammered after climbing in through the now open window. "Climbing a ten story building is NOT my idea of a good time."

"You never answered my question."

"I made hand holes to climb my way up." I said with a satisfied smile. "Hop up on my shoulder. I want you to see Yang's face when I open the door she's guarding."

Blake quickly made her way up my back and onto my shoulder. "This, I have to see."

I quickly walked over and opened the door, causing Yang to fall onto her back when the part she was leaning on went away. "Wow Yang. Never thought you'd be falling over yourself just to see me."

"Very punny Will." Yang admitted with a small smile, though the most prominent feature on her face was shock.

Blake just groaned. "Great. Now there's twice the amount of horrible puns."

"Yeah, yeah, seriously though, how'd you get in here?" Yang asked, complete dismissing Blake's worry.

"Climbed up with some hand holes I made." I answered. "So, did you wait outside give you enough time to decide if we talk now?"

"Eh, sure. You're already past the five minute marker."

"Shit, really? Anyway, I just wanted to ask a few questions."

"Un-huh."

"Are you capable of using your Semblance?"

"I'm not, it just looks like I can, but Blake can." Yang chuckled. "Though, she can't use it as well as she could before."

"Yang…" Blake groaned again before hopping off my shoulder, likely to distance herself from the blonde.

"Any help from your auras?" I pressed on.

"Only in healing." Yang admitted. "That's stronger than before. You have no idea how fun it is to get an x-ray showing broken bones one day, and the next day their fixed. The doctor's faces are priceless."

"And the amount of requests for blood samples and examinations is annoying." Blake added in.

"Yeah, that part does take some of the fun away."

"Ok, two more questions. What happened to your weapons?" I continued

"Blake's is my room, as is Ember Cecilia. Unfortunately, with no viable replacement for dust, we likely won't be using them ever again."

"You're telling me there's not a single planet in the galaxy that has a form of power like dust?"

"Yup. And that's four questions." Yang said, punching her fists together.

"Wait, that last one was more of a statement!" I quickly informed her while taking a step back.

"Fine, one more question, then I get to have my fun." She said sadistically. Blake had finally left the room, in what I now realized was an attempt to get out of the path of destruction.

"What's the rules?" I asked. "I know you went over the goal in the auditorium, but what's the rules for your trial?"

Yang, to the credit, stopped and thought about that for a minute. "You're talking rules of engagement, right?"

"Yeah. What's allowed, and what isn't."

"Really anything besides serious injury, like our fight, but with anything you can use to win."

"So like this?" I asked, pulling a pistol out from behind my back before holding it to her head.

Blinking from the shock of the sudden move, Yang didn't speak for a few seconds. "What's your goal here will? You know you can't shoot me."

"Well, you surrender, and I won't." I grinned my hunter's grin. "For all you know, this could be loaded with anything."

"You won't shoot your superior office-"

"Right now you're not my CO. This is a test, and I'm acting within the rules. The very same rules you yourself set up." I informed her, my grin growing bigger. "Now, surrender, would you kindly?"

* * *

**CASSANDRA'S POV**

**TWO MINUTES INTO TESTING**

"I yield! I yield!" Fred cried out in pain. "Kristy, call the damn test off!"

"Now, why would I do that?" Kristy coyly replied. "I've been waiting to see someone beat some sense into you for quite some time."

"Personal grudge?" I asked, landing another punch on Fred's prone body. This one on his **very** bruised arm.

"Thought he could sleep around with some other girl who wasn't me." Kristy replied. "Always told him karma would bite him in the ass for it."

I paused and looked over at Kristy. "So I was right? You're his girlfriend?"

"Someone has to be." She laughed. "We don't see each other often, but let me tell you something sweetie, the sex is worth the wait."

Just as Kristy was mentioning the part about sex, my fist slammed right into Fred's crotch. I looked over at Kristy apologetically. "Sorry. I pulled that one as much as I could."

"Bullshit." Fred whimpered, his voice a few octaves higher than it had been previously.

"What was that?" I asked menacingly, swing at his leg this time.

"MY LEG!" he yelled, despite the pain from his crotch. "KRISTY MAKE IT STOP!"

"Alright, alright." Kristy laughed. "Congrats on the win sweetie."

"Thanks for letting me get in a workout." I replied, whipping a bit of sweat off my forehead. "So, what's you-"

_'__Attention, attention. This is a match announcement.'_ The intercom interrupted. They had been going off as some of the matches that started quicker finished up, and the ones who couldn't make it were picked off. _'The match between William May and Yang Rose has ended.'_

"Shush!" I hissed, eager to hear how will faired.

_'__William May advances with a time of: five minutes and fifty-nine seconds. The match ended as result from-'_

* * *

**WILL'S POV**

**END OF TEST (I love cliffhangers.)**

"Let me make sure I heard this right!" Blake yelled from the other room, likely her and Yang's bedroom, after the announcement was made. "You took out a pistol, held yang at gunpoint, and demanded her to surrender?!"

"Basically." I laughed. "I can't believe it worked."

Blake poked her head out of the door, just to make sure her ears weren't deceiving her. Sure enough, Yang stood with her hands behind her head in surrender. Blake, however, noticed something Yang hadn't.

"Yang you idiot! That pistol isn't even working!"

"WHAT?!"

By this point I had fallen to the floor from laughter. It was true. When I was making my way outside, I had run by one of the many armories throughout the academy. Knowing fully well that I'd likely lose any form of combat against Yang, I looked for any sort of non-lethal weapon to take with me.

Unfortunately, this armory didn't have any non-lethal weapons, such as pistols with rubber rounds instead of the shaved metal they used in combat, but just as I was about to give up, I noticed a service station (one of the weapon modification benches from the third game).

Sitting on it was a half disassembled pistol, with no ammo block or trigger to be found. It was a simple enough task to rebuild the weapon to look like it worked, there was basically six to eight parts for any weapon, but without an ammo block, the indicator light on the sides were a vibrant yellow. I had hoped Yang wouldn't notice until it was too late, and boy was I glad it worked.

"You were right Yang." I stammered through deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. "I'd never point a gun at my CO. Not a working gun anyway!"

Despite the hilarity of the situation, Yang wasn't laughing at all. That alone set off a few alarms in my head, but that was only after I found myself being thrown out the still open window.

"YOU ARE SUCH A SORE LOSER!" I yelled.

* * *

**CASSANDRA'S POV**

**AWAITING SECOND TEST**

"HE DID IT! I CANT BELIVE HE DID IT!"

"Heh, sounds like he forced her into a corner. No way would she surrender otherwise." Fred commented quietly, still on the floor in pain. Will's right, I really should get punch checked out…

"Congrats sweetie, but your real test starts now." Kristy announced as she stretched her muscles. "A game of glorified tag. I'll start as 'it', your goal is to not be 'it' after five minutes. Hide or run the best you can, and when you're 'it', try your hardest to tag me back."

"Alright. Sounds good." I said, loosening up a bit as well. "Anything we can't do or places we can't go?"

"No tech or weapons other than what we already have. Anywhere off limits on base is off limits here as well."

"You giving her a heads start? Wouldn't be fair otherwise." Fred groaned as he stood and leaned against the boxing ring's ropes.

"Thirty seconds." Kristy announced, looking straight at me. "Twenty-nine, twenty-eight…"

By twenty-seven, I had taken off.

"She's a good one Kristy." Fred remarked, standing straight now that I had left. He still felt like shit from her arm, but was putting it off. "Don't hold back on her. That was my mistake from the start."

"Noted." She muttered before engaging her cloaking device. She hadn't left, Fred knew that much, but that wasn't going to stop her from moving.

"Good luck toots." Fred said out loud. "There's a shadow at your back."

* * *

**WILL'S POV**

"Seriously, did you have to throw me out the window?" I griped.

"You had you're biotics to slow you down." Yang replied, the shit eating grin on her face never wavering. "Besides, if you couldn't survive a fall like that, you wouldn't be here."

"Still bullshit, treating a fellow serviceman the way you do." We were walking back to the auditorium after Yang had followed me out the window, simply because she wanted to. Despite being tricked into surrendering, she was taking things pretty well. Nothing like how she acted in the show. Instead of being pissed off and slightly moody, she was just grinning like an idiot.

Which only made me feel like it was her that won, not me.

"You do realize I was the one who won, righ-OUF" I grunted as someone ran into me. No, more like plowed into me as hard as they could. For a second, I had thought I was being attacked by Yang, but the body on top of me was too light.

Quickly scrambling off me, the person took off down the hallway yelling "SORRY!" After sitting up and getting a better look, I noticed it was Cassandra.

"The hell is going on arou-GAH!" Just as I was starting to stand up, someone used by body as a springboard to launch themselves down the hallway. Thankfully, they were lighter than Cassandra, so I was only knocked over slightly instead of landing in a heap on the ground.

The only reason I knew it wasn't just me falling over was from the shimmering light that was associated with a cloaking unit.

"Ok?" Yang quipped. "That's new."

"Oh great." I groaned. "What'd she do this time?"

* * *

**CASSANDRA'S POV**

"THIS IS SO UNFAIR!" Cassandra yelled. "YOU GET ALL THE COOL TOYS!"

Kristy had been chasing after her for around a minute before tagging me, causing me to be 'it' and have to chase her down. Easier said than done, and made all the harder by Kristy's annoying habit of cloaking.

But an annoyance was all it really was. The only thing I failed during Infiltrator training was stealth, which meant I had one of the highest detection ratings to ever come out of training. The art of detection was simple really, as long as you had a keen eye and knew your surroundings. Figure out what belonged, and anything that didn't stood out easier.

Alliance R&amp;D had been working for years to get this basic form of cloaking mechanism to its prototype stage. Even now, after they had worked out quite a few of the kinks in the design, it was one of the hardest to procure piece of equipment an Infiltrator could acquire. The fact that Kristy had one at all, meant she was truly a top-notch Infiltrator, an operative truly worthy of the Shadow designation.

But for all the work the Alliance put into the device, there were still major flaws in its design. A one of the major issues was the ability to maneuver while using the device. Because it was sensitive to movement, most operatives had to move slowly the instant they turned on their device. Failure to do so would result in either a faulty image, where the photo-reactive panels struggled to match the image they needed to project, or would completely overload and shut down to prevent damage to the components.

There was no way Kristy had a cloaking device that let her move quickly without being seen. That was evident when she had run into Will (which was why she was currently 'it'), Kristy's cloak had been the former problem rather than the later. Now, however, she had to slow down drastically to stay hidden. This gave me only a brief moment to both catch up with her and find where she had hidden herself.

A quick use of the Omni-tool flashlight usually did the trick.

The photo-reactive panels weren't designed for quick changing light levels. If a search light was slowly moving, it'd be fine, but a quick burst of light was like using an overload on an old Apple computer: the thing fried quicker than flash cooked bacon.

Most of the time Kristy had narrowly avoided my reach before sprinting off, but I had a trick of my own when I found her this time. With my fingers only inches away from her hardsuit I launched a Lift at her which, because she was so close, was impossible to avoid.

"Hard to avoid me when gravity itself is against you." I smirked while slapping her ass, physically, with a Throw before taking off in the opposite direction. Hopefully things will go this smoothly for the next three minutes.

* * *

**WILL'S POV**

"Yeah, that sounds just like her." I sighed as Fred finished telling Yang and I what happened. Yang was silent, trying to think of what to do with Cassandra should she pass this trial as well. I looked back to Fred. "My condolences about the boys. I've been there once myself. Wasn't pleasant in any sense of the word."

Fred visibly winced, remembering the earlier pain that was still there, although diminished greatly now. "I wouldn't wish her wrath upon my worst enemies." He muttered, getting a small, sympathetic laugh from me.

Looking around the room, there were groupings of instructors and trainees all over, most of whom were waiting for other tests to end so they could use an area without interruptions. There were more Engineers this year than in previous years it seemed, due to several large groups with one instructor (dressed as N7 Demolishers) at the head of some of the groups. Others were watching the live feeds from the training areas as their instructor faced off against a fellow trainee.

That's not to say that there weren't those who had finished their tests already. In fact, there were quite a few of those, split into two groups. One group was full of clearly upset people, each one not saying a word to anyone, making it obvious that they were the group who failed their test in some form or another. The other was consisted of people in various forms of attitude. Some were ecstatic, others content, and some were upset even, but all of them were talking to each other. Figuring I belonged in that group, I walked over.

I was greeted by several nods, and more than one person asking how I had fared in my test. When I told them I had beaten the instructor, however, the group quieted down a bit.

"What'd you do, start beating them senseless like that soldier chick did in the ring?" one girl asked. Something was familiar about her voice, but I'd heard people with similar voices before, so I ignored it.

"Nah. Took'em by surprise and held a gun to their head to force a surrender." I shrugged, trying to make light of the situation.

Sadly it backfired as everyone in the group stopped talking, each one looking directly at me. Finally, after what seemed like minutes of silence, the girl who spoke before broke the silence. "You're the one who went up against the General?"

"Um… yes?" I replied. "I mean, unless I somehow died and ended up in some alternate universe where that didn't happen."

Silence.

"Ok… yeah... that was a bad joke." I said, rubbing the back of my neck. Everyone was still silent. "Will someone please say something? I'm starting to feel like somethings wrong with me. There's nothing on my face, right?"

Apparently that girl had become the designated spokesperson. "You beat General Rose by pulling a gun on her?!"

"Well… yeah. There's no way I could face her outright! Besides, the damn thing doesn't even work." I informed them, pulling out said pistol. Only a couple of people even bothered to look at it.

"Details." The spokesperson demanded. "Now."

* * *

**CASSANDRA'S POV**

'Shit, shit, shit!' was the only thing running through my mind as I ducked behind a pipe. Kristy had been held off long enough by my biotics for me to get into the maintenance tunnels that ran beneath the base. It was dark and full of tight corners, obstructions, and general crap that made it perfect for someone to hide.

What's more, is that for someone who practiced urban exploration as a kid, this place was a dream come true. I was twisting and turning my way through the seemingly endless tunnels, using the various pipes and crates to get around easier while hopefully slowing down my pursuer.

The only down sides were that Kristy also seemed to be at home in these tunnels, and defiantly knew them better than I did. If she managed to tag me, there's no way I could ever find her in this lighting. Her cloak would give her the ultimate advantage here.

Feeling something scrape my leg and fearing the worst, I turned on instinct and tossed a Lift behind me. My reward was to have a rat slowly float up into the air, squeaking like crazy at the unfamiliar sensation.

"Great reflexes." The voice came from behind me. With a weary sigh, I turned to see Kristy sitting on a crate a few feet away. "If you knew these tunnels like I did, you would have taken a left at the last junction. This way loops back around to where you came in. Still, you gave it a good run."

I slumped up against a wall, suddenly tired. "I really need to get back into urban exploration. This wouldn't have worn me out when I was a kid."

"Urban exploration?"

"It's more 'popular' name is Parkour." I explained, air quoting the word popular to show my disgust with the name. "You know, running around, vaulting over ledges, jumping from building to building, the stuff you see in those older action movies from the twenty-first century."

"Didn't realize people still practiced that in this day and age." She admitted

"Hardly anyone does that's not a biotic. Hurts a lot less when you slip and fall three stories."

"Makes sense."

"I gota ask, why aren't you tagging me?"

She laughed. "You didn't feel your Omni-tool go off, did you?"

Giving her a look of confusion, I opened mine to check it. Sure enough, the timer for the test read five minutes. Two minutes ago.

"Before you ask, I wanted to see how long you could last before I tagged you again." She explained, answering my question before I had even finished forming it.

"Why didn't you… oh." I muttered. "Yeah, I'm confused now. Did I win?"

"Yes, but how and why is something I'm starting to question." Kristy sighed. "Come on. Let's head back."

* * *

**WILL'S POV**

"So yeah. That's basically how my test went." I said, wrapping up my story. "Shortly after winning she threw me out the window."

The small group that had been huddled up had grown exponentially when word spread that the man who beat the General was telling how his test went. Having just now finished up, some of the new arrivals were disappointed to have missed the story, but everyone had a good time listening to it if the roars of laughter were any indication.

"So, let me get this straight." The girl who had been elected as the designated spokesperson said. "You ran around in the halls, took a broken pistol from the armory, scaled a ten story wall with biotics, and held the General at 'gunpoint.' Let's face it friend. You got lucky."

"I don't think I got lucky." I half mumbled. "I got thrown out of a ten story building."

"And lived!" Finally! Someone other than that girl spoke up! "Not a lot of people can claim that."

"Then you clearly haven't met many Asari." Someone said to the man who had just spoken. "They use their biotics to slow their fall all the time in action vids."

'Note to self: watch more action vids.' I thought with a small smirk. "Now, if you all don't mind, I'm gona go get something to drink."

"Grab me one too Will." Cassandra's voice rang out. I turned to see her being held up by a woman who I immediately assumed was the one who used by back as a springboard in the halls.

"Sure thing Cassie." I yelled over. "Any preference?"

"Not that damned Tupari, that's for sure." She answered. "I don't get how you can drink that shit."

"I drink it because it's the only 'good' tasting drink that help with biotic fatigue." I said, grabbing my drink and a bottle of water for Cassandra. "If you were to find me something better, I'd switch immediately."

"Why not Paragade?" Someone asked before being nearly beaten by over half the room's Tupari drinkers, myself not included.

"That's why!" I yelled over to the poor bastard, who emerged from the pile shaken but uninjured. He promptly flipped me off, much to my amusement. "Bro, I deal with this lady's beatings on an almost daily basis. I don't need Tupari drinkers chasing me down as well."

"Please don't hit me, it was just a joke." I muttered, handing Cassandra her water.

"Your fine. Too tired to swing my arm." She assured me before sitting down on a crate. "Hey, why'd you call me Cassie?"

I shrugged. "Well you call me Will so I figured I could give you a nickname. Why, don't like it?"

"Beats being called Shepard all the time." She muttered, referring to all the times during training that instructors and higher ranking personnel would get her attention by using her last name. I never had that problem, since yelling May got several girl's attention, so they just used my first name.

"Aww poor Sheppy." I teased.

"Tread carefully Will." She warned, but was much too tired to back up the threatening tone in her voice.

"Yeah. That sounds like the name of some Volus trying to get into a party." That chick from earlier added in, having walked over to join us for whatever reason. "Sheppy the Volus. Heh."

"Don't think we were ever properly introduced." I apologized and offered my hand. "My bad. William May, Vanguard."

"It's fine. Slipped my mind as well." She said, shaking my hand. "Lee Riley. Engineer. Pleasure to meet you both."

"Cassandra Shepard. Honestly no clue what I am at the moment."

"Wash out?"

"No. Beat two instructors. A Soldier and Infiltrator. Now it's kinda a toss-up of what I am."

'Attention: all initiates who passed testing, please report to gymnasium three.' A computerized voice announced over the intercom. I glanced over towards Yang, but she was still chatting with Cassandra's instructors.

"Well, best not to keep them waiting." I said, helping up Cassandra, who groaned at having to move again.

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

"I don't remember this ever happening." A voice said. "Riley never showed up until that fuel station, and even then she was separated from us for the entirety of the mission."

"We also never had HER for a leader." Another voice commented in disgust. "Just what was Death thinking when he threw her in here?"

**I OFTEN FORGET YOU CANNNOT SEE WHAT GOES ON WHEN I MAKE MY PRESENCE KNOWN.**

The group of beings looked over to see their hooded friend. One of the group voiced their confusion.

"What do you mean by that, Reaper?"

**IT MEANS, THAT HAD YOU BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE INCIDENT, YOU WOULD HAVE LEARNED IT WAS NOT BY MY HAND THAT THE BLOND ONE IS HERE.**

"WHAT?!" The second voice shouted. "We agreed to this because we were sick of the same things happening! You never mentioned that others could influence what happened there as well!"

**CALM YOURSELF. I DID NOT BELIEVE THAT ANOTHER ENTITY COULD AFFECT THIS REALM WITHOUT MY CONSENT. THE HIGHER UP IS THE ONLY ONE I KNOW OF WHO CAN DO SUCH A THING, BUT HE HAS NEVER INTERFERED WITH ANY DEATH'S PLANS SINCE WE WERE CREATED.**

"Then go have a talk with him." A new, calmer voice added. "See if he knows of anything that could do this."

**I CANNOT DO THAT. HE IS ON VACATION.**

"We saved, ignored, and condemned that galaxy countless times without a vacation!" a rage filled voice roared. "What right does your 'boss' have to take a vacation when he does NOTHING!"

**WHEN HE RETURNS, I SHALL ASK HIM. UNTIL THEN, I WILL LOOK INTO THIS MYSELF.**

"Very well." The first agreed. "Until then, let's just keep watching. None of us ever had this form of N7 training, so at least this will be entertaining."

"It's not like we can do much else." The calm one agreed. "We had our chance. Now it is Cassandra's turn to bear the title of Commander Shepard."

"As we all did." The voices all recited, each remembering their own versions of the past. A calm silence filled the room, as each Shepard enjoyed their pasts before looking back to this newest Shepard's future.

* * *

**AND THERE WE HAVE IT FOLKS! THE END OF CHAPTER FIVE. HONSETLY NOT AS LONG AS I WOULD HAVE LIKED IT, BUT I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU ALL TO MAKE UP FOR IT!**

**ANOTHER SNEEK PEAK AT THE FUTURE! THIS ONE TAKES PLACE DURING THE SECOND GAME, AS ITS ONE OF THE FEW SCENES I'VE ALREADY THOUGHT OUT.**

**MORE AUTHORS NOTES AFTER**

* * *

The ground team, if it could even be called that right now, departed the new Normandy. Consisting of Cassandra, Miranda, Jacob, and I, the entirety of the ground team at the moment, we took in the filth and musk that came with standing on the pisshole station that was Omega.

"Feels just like home, doesn't it Cassie?" I joked. "Hell, this whole station is probably better than some of the trash bars we've hit during training."

"Damn right!" Cassandra agreed earnestly, which I was thankful for. She still wasn't properly over her 'death' and it showed. "What was that one we ended up at after graduation? The one where those Batarian chicks tried to drug and seduce you so they could steal your liver?"

"Bernie's House of Pleasure." I recalled with a shudder. "And that was even before we had gotten INTO the bar! Omega already has a leg up on that place!"

Miranda and Jacob were both looking at us with the more incredible looks. Jacob was shocked for just a second, before memories of his time during Alliance shore leaves flooded his mind and he chuckled. Miranda, on the other hand, was positively horrified.

"I had hoped that that was just a joke when I read about it." She muttered. "How can a place worse than Omega even exist on Earth?"

"Oh, that was nothing compared to the Sha'thai." I shuddered again. "On second thought, id rather not revisit that memory."

"I second that!" Cassandra agreed quickly, visibly trying to keep those memories out of her head.

Meanwhile, Miranda's look of horror only grew, which only made me laugh on the inside.

"Commander, I'm receiving qua-" Edi started before she was interrupted by Cassandra

"Hold one EDI." She said. "Gota deal with the welcoming committee real quick."

As she spoke, a Salarian finished walking towards us. "Welcome to Omega! You're new here, aren't you? I can always tell. Allow me to-" he stopped short when the Batarian in heavy armor, who had seemingly followed him, caught his eye. "Oh... Hello, Moklan! I was just-"

"Leave, Fargut. Now." The Batarian demanded.

"O-of course, Moklan! Whatever she wants!" Fargut saluted before running away.

"Blasted scavengers." The Batarian, Moklan, muttered before turning his attention to us. "Welcome to Omega William... Shepard."

"You know who we are?" Cassandra asked, likely surprised at someone recognizing her so soon. This WAS our first stop in a 'public' place, after all.

"Of course." He drawled on. "We had you tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems. You're not as subtle as you think."

"See Miri? I told you we should have re-painted the ship. Only way to make the thing stand out more is to attach a neon sign to the roof that says 'Cerberus is here!'"

"I told you. Don't call me Miri." Miranda growled.

The Batarian just scoffed, gaining our attention again. "Aria wants to know that brings the dead Spectre and her protégé to Omega. I suggest you get your candy ass to Afterlife now, and present yourself."

"Ok, seriously? Cut the attitude man, were not here to cause problems. Hell, were probably going to be doing her favors!" I argued.

"Things explode around you two!" He countered. "You can't blame Aria for keeping an eye on you."

Cassandra and I looked at each other. "Yeah... that's pretty accurate." She conceded.

"Afterlife. Now." He grunted in satisfaction before walking off.

Once he was gone, I looked back at Cassandra. "So, hit up the markets first? Make Aria wait for us?"

"Sounds good to me." She agreed.

"Or, you could recruit the mercenary Zaeed Massani, who is standing at the end of the hallway." Edi informed us.

"How about both? I like both. Let's do both!"

* * *

**Alright, I know it's not much of a glimpse, but things are kinda hectic for me right now. Still, I hope you enjoyed the sneak peak.**

**Anyway, I can already tell people are going to yell at me for throwing in the last part for this chapter, so let me explain it first. Never, and I mean NEVER will those people interfere with anything in this story. They're going to be, more or less, the galactic commentators. If you didn't figure out who they were at the very end, well then I did a shitty job of explaining it. They are the Commander Shepards from every single Mass Effect Universe that has already happened. Basically, they're the ones who gave Human Death the idea for Will's job.**

**If you guys bring up something that I didn't realize or had overlooked, this is where they will be 'vented' so to speak. **

**THIS NEXT BIT WILL DECIDE THE FUTURE OF THE STORY**

**But only slightly. Basically I want to know if you all want me to go through the ENTIRE time between now and the start of the first game, or if you want me to just hit the key points. If we go with the second option, I'll be putting in references to things that won't be shown, like the complaining about bars in the sneak peak. Those COULD end up in a separate story, but I want your opinion on the matter.**

**Until next time, and as always, please leave a review!**


	6. Rangers lead the way

**WHAT'S UP GUYS AND GALS! I'm back, with another chapter! Sorry for the delay, but there are two damn good reasons for it.**

**The first part was I was on vacation.**

**The second was that, on July 13****th**** at 8:30am, I had to put down Stewart, my dog. At 13 years old, over half my life, his back legs gave out completely and I had to literally carry him around the house for the night until the vet opened back up the next day.**

**I hadn't planned on putting in a certain part of this story until much later, but with my dogs passing I'm moving it up. You'll know it when you see it, it'll be fairly obvious.**

**Now that that's over with, I'd like to clarify something:**

**When I asked you all if you wanted me to write EVERYTHING or just the key points, I think the message got a bit mixed up. By everything, I meant training and missions that lead up to the start of ME1, nothing after. I've planned out what's happening during the game, this is just about the time gap between then and now. Things that are, but aren't cannon to the true story. They would be based off of the timeline events, but since there is no real description of what happened, I'd be creating it from scratch.**

**However, after writing this chapter, I feel like I should just hit the key points; Akuze, Torfan, and Elysium, and put anything else in a side story. Writing this chapter was hell for me due graduation parties stealing most of my free time (I had around 30 to attend) and some major writers block.**

**Now then, let's get on to the reviews!**

**Dickson: **Cassandra isn't a husband beater, let me just say that now. She's just stronger than she thinks she is. And thank you for your answer!

**Cprime.3000: **I agree, there really aren't a lot of stories that go that in depth, but I think there's a reason for that. Most people just try to make subtle changes to the story so they can have an easier time writing it. I swear I will write about what happens in the time gap, but it's going in a side story. As for the Jurassic Park reference, I didn't even realize I had done that until you pointed it out. Thanks for your answer as well!

**Guest: **Thank you for your review mister/miss guest! Honestly, I do like your position on my question the best; you state what you'd prefer, but leave the door open to other options. Thanks!

**Narutochi: **Like I said above, I was talking about what would be happening before the start of the first game. As for the Dantius sisters, well, let's just say I have a plan for them, and leave it at that.

**Bigun03:** Thanks for the support man!

** :** Here's your update man. Sorry it took a while but you know the reason for it.

**Pyrovortex:** That's why they needed the hard suits. Titan's atmosphere has no oxygen. It's composed of 98.4% Nitrogen, with the remaining 1.6% being a mix of mostly methane and some hydrogen, with trace amounts of other hydrocarbons and other gases, none of which are oxygen. You made a great point and, should anything like that come up again, I'll be more specific in the detailing.

**Soran51:** Thanks you for the encouragement! I really appreciate it!

**_Just so everyone's on the same page, after this I'll be writing the first of the career profile events, Akuze or Elysium, and will be writing any side stuff inside a separate story. _**

**Now, let's get on with Chapter 6!**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Mass Effect. If whoever does own it doesn't want it anymore, I'll gladly take it off their hands!**

**Summary: William starts training yet again, but Yang's plans make old Gunny Ellison's boot camp look like a vacation. **

**CHAPTER 6**

**Rangers lead the way**

**Interplanetary Combatives Academy, Codenamed: ****_The Vila_****, Earth**

**June 1****st****, 2173**

I'm afraid. I am one hundred percent afraid right now. That in itself only scared me more, because I've never been this afraid of a single person.

Yang, or General Rose to everyone else, kept stealing glances at me. No, not those type of glances! The kind of glances a person makes when their up to something and want to watch your reaction when the surprise was finally sprung. The fact that it was coming from her was what made me so damn afraid. Because knowing her, she'd launch us off a damn cliff for laughs, without any form of warning.

There's a reason I enjoy hanging out with pranksters. Hell, back in basic, I had pulled countless pranks myself, each one unexpected due to how 'old school' they were. Things like putting someone's hand in water so they wet the bed (which made Gunny Ellison furious) and the old shaving cream and a feather pranks. Completely harmless (unless Ellison found the poor bastard) and incredibly fun, but Yang's pranks had the potential to kill.

Thankfully, we had made it to the Gymnasium without incident, but it was when roughly a third of us who passed got called to a separate room, by Yang herself, that I started getting nervous. She then told us to wait there until the remaining tests were finished, something Cassie was glad for since the other former initiates were stuck training.

Every now and again, a new face would walk in. Not many, but it was enough to keep our curiosity piqued. It was only after the majority of the tests were completed that I remembered what Yang said about their being a special selection being chosen.

It was then that I started to notice Yang's glances, and became afraid. I knew this special selection was likely just some form of training, but with her, a person had to stay on guard.

Thankfully, after the last test ended with the guy, I think his name was Mark or something, joining the thirty-or-so of us in what was quickly being referred to as 'the waiting room,' Yang finally began… whatever the hell she was planning.

"No doubt all of you are wondering why you are here." She began, receiving small nods from roughly half the group. "Ok, more like half of you. For those of you who haven't figured it out, you were called here because your instructors and I saw something in you. With each of you it was something different, but you all had one thing in common. Your drive."

"I've been petitioning the Alliance brass for some time to let me start a little… project. As of this moment, each of you will be training directly under me. Those who wash out will still be able to continue their N7 training, but for those of you who manage to survive, and survive you must, you will become something… more."

At this point, she paused and looked each of us in the eye before continuing. "This isn't something you can volunteer for, and should you decide to leave, you will never be given another chance at what I have planned for you. Before you ask, none of you will ever know just what that is until I've decided you're ready."

'This is what she mentioned after I Death showed up. It's got to be.' I thought. 'Fuck. This is probably going to make N7 training look tame.'

"So, if any of you wish to walk out now, this will be your only chance. After this, the only way out is either being too injured to continue training, or repeated failure to meet my standards."

There were a couple of people moving towards the door, so I decided to dick around and join them. This, unfortunately, caught the eyes of both Yang and Cassandra. The former simply looked surprised, while the latter looked hell bent on killing me.

I got to the door first and, it being an old fashioned swing door, promptly held it open for everyone else with a smile. Cassandra was ready to blow a gasket with how furious she looked, but Yang was struggling not to laugh, along with just a couple others.

Finally, the last person left, and I shut the door behind them before heading to a spot well out of Cassandra's reach. To go anywhere near her right now was a death sentence.

**VERY FUNNY**.

Yeah, I thought so. What the fuck do you want?

Silence. Nothing changed, people were whispering to each other. Great, so I might be going crazy now.

**NO, YOUR NOT.**

Asshole.

Again, silence. Fuck you Death!

"Ahem" Yang coughed. "Tonight, you rest. Tomorrow, you will be familiarizing yourself with my office. As I am now directly in charge of your training, let me make this clear." She paused for a moment. "I truly don't give a shit what you call me. Yang, General Rose, Blondie, whatever. I really don't care. My goal isn't to make you into the perfect soldier. My goal is to make you as deadly as I can. William, since you already know the basic layout of my office, you're in charge of the tour. After that, I want to see you in my actual office. The rest of you will be following a workout to whip you into shape. Dismissed."

We all went to salute, but she stopped us. "Ok, one last thing I guess. Don't salute me. I hate it. Treat me as your equal, not a superior."

"Got it blondie." I said, turning and starting to walk out. "Everyone I want you at her doors at 0730, unless you prefer a later time?"

"Sounds good to me." She called back.

"Alright. Dress like you're going to sweat people. Goodnight!"

**TEN MINUTES LATER**

**BUNKROOM**

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT!" pretty much summed up how my night was going. Cassandra was screaming my ear off, keeping everyone else from getting any sleep. "I CANT BELIEVE YOU-"

I cut her off with a quick kiss on her lips. "Quiet down hun. People are trying to sleep."

Cassandra shot me a death glare, but quieted down none the less. "William, you better start telling me what was going through your head when you did that."

"Full name. Shit, I really am in trouble, aren't I?" I chucked. "I just thought it'd be funny, and would get me on our CO's good side. Figured after my entrance, being summoned to her office, and having to fight her during my test, I needed to do anything to help my case."

It wasn't a lie, really. I was trying to get on her good side, and I did think it'd be funny, but really I just wanted to ease the tension in two places; the room and Yang.

Knowing her, and from how I've seen her act here, Yang didn't want people to treat her differently. She used to, and probably still does, go out to clubs and have a good sense on the 'underground' aspect of things, and having to fight to earn respect. She doesn't enjoy demanding it because of some title (of course, that wouldn't stop her from using it if needed).

By doing it, I accomplished two things; everyone remaining was calmer since I, the trouble maker, was allowed to make a funny, and two, eased Yang's efforts to get rid of the 'I'm your superior, do as I say' attitude everyone would have towards her.

"Alright, but it wasn't funny!" Cassandra pouted, not as upset as she was, but still peeved at me. "And you can't just do that!"

"Do what?" I gave her a confused look."

"You know… That." She mumbled, not looking me in the eye. "The…"

"The what?" I asked, not hearing what she mumbled.

"The k…" she mumbled again, barely any louder.

"One more time?"

Instead of saying anything, she glared at me before tapping her lips. I was still confused for a minute before it hit me… or rather, her lips did.

"That." She said softly, now blushing furiously while still looking pissed at me. I don't know if I should find it scary or sexy.

"Ohhhh, well why not?" I teased. "It's not like it's a problem. Besides, I just want to make sure everyone here knows your mine so they don't get any ideas!" I had yelled the last part, and much to Cassandra embarrassment, several guys, and more than a few girls, groaned in dismay. "Sorry ladies and gents, she's mine."

One girl was actually brave enough to yell out "Lucky bastard." That had Cassandra go into the brightest shade of crimson red I'd ever seen. It was like her face was redder than her hair.

"Damn you! I might actually have some competition if her face is anything to go by!" I hollered back to the girl, before being punched in the gut. With my last bit of air, I managed to give a warning. "Be careful if you steal her from me. Her arm is unnaturally strong."

If there was a reply, I didn't hear it. I only felt something hit my head as my legs gave out, before i started swimming in darkness.

**Interplanetary Combatives Academy, Codenamed: ****_The Vila_****, Earth**

**Outside General Rose's office, 0745**

**June 2****nd****, 2173**

Sometimes I wish I enjoyed the taste of coffee. I've heard all the stories behind the supposed miracle nectar the gods bestowed upon the poor office workers of the world, but despite countless attempts and mixes, I have yet to fine any form of coffee I enjoyed drinking. A lot of people told me it's an acquired taste. I countered saying it was self-induced Stockholm syndrome.

Sadly, this morning was one such morning that I wished I had forced myself to enjoy it years ago. After waking up in the Infirmary with my head feeling like an over-ripened melon ready to burst, I realized I couldn't feel my arm. That was due to Cassandra sleeping on it. When she woke up and moved, only to hit me again, my arm was filled with those annoying needle pricks at hurt like hell and don't go away quickly.

Then I learned I has a very light concussion, something I was thoroughly confused about. Since when did getting punched in the gun give someone a concussion? Cassandra fessed up, saying she had knocked me out with a blow to the head, and the doctor told me I wasn't allowed to train until it was gone.

He then gave me a choice between some pills or an arm brace, as I wasn't allowed to use my biotics either. Something about it being related to my brain patterns and the dizzy sensations I kept having… I think. It's kind of hard to remember that part. I remember I could have make some joke about needing anti-biotics, but I saw the warning glance in Cassandra's eye and immediately thought better and choose the pills. The arm brace would have annoyed me to no end.

Now I was standing in front of Yang's office, her actual office, after finishing the tour of her 'official office' as she called it. I still had a headache, my arm was still tingling, and I was slightly dizzy from the concussion.

Yeah, I wish I enjoyed coffee. Probably could use a smoke too. Ah, the troubles of replacing the urge to slowly kill myself with a cancer stick and replacing it with bullets.

The door opened and I walked in.

This was nothing like her ridiculously large office filled with gym equipment. Oh no, it was infinitely smaller, and much more…practical. There were plenty of pictures, plaques, and awards decorating the walls, along with several filing cabinets. In a big surprise, the U-shaped desk that Yang was working at was clutter free. I had half expected to see a large mess of reports, requisitions requests, and other such papers, but there wasn't a thing out of place.

"I swear, its Blake's nagging that keeps this place clean, not me." Yang spoke up from behind her terminal, a fancy version that folded into the desk by the looks of it. I raised my eyebrow. "Oh don't give me that look. You haven't lived with her for most your life. Ever since I got the job, she wound let me rest until this room is presentable."

"You have my sympathies." I bowed, my right arm across my chest. "I remember how my mother use to hound me to keep my room clean whenever there was a party at our house. 'I don't want anyone to see the mess you call a room' she would say. I never understood it because my door was always closed, and no one ever entered my room who hadn't already seen it at its worst."

"Well thanks for passing that curse on to me." She groaned as she finished up whatever she was typing, triple tapping a button that folded up the terminal. She gestured to the seat across from her. "Please, sit down."

"Before I forget, I'm supposed to give you this." I said, handing her a note. "Cassandra gave me a slight concussion, so I won't be able to train till it's gone. Doc says it shouldn't be longer than a couple days."

"Well, looks like its bookwork for you." Yang grinned. "Or if you rather, I have PLENTY of low-priority documents you can help me with."

"You're a devil." I huffed.

"Oh don't be that way. Most of them you just stamp a big NO onto it and toss it into the reject pile. It's mostly just invitations to various political functions, damn bureaucrats haven't figured it out that I won't help them in their damned scheming."

"I'm sensing a but here…"

"Yeah… you kind of have to read them all to make sure nothing got misfiled. Wouldn't be good to deny a food shipment to some troops by accident."

I gave her a rather pointed look. "You HAVE eaten military food, right?"

"I make sure that my troops have at least flavored rations." She quickly stated. "I wouldn't wish the normal rations on my worst enemy."

Yang and I continued to talk about nothing of importance for quite a bit after that. Things like her past missions, any past or current relationships, and normal friend talk. She even managed to get me to do her damn paperwork for her, though I was still confused on how. After about an hour, we finally started talking about the elephant in the room.

"VI, disable all recording and monitoring devices." She said to her terminal, which she had brought back up just for this. "Authorization: General Rose, Service number 1924-GN-359."

_"__AUTHORIZATION ACCEPTED. ALL MONITORING AND RECORDING DEVICES DISABLED."_ The VI, one that sounded FAR too much like Siri for my liking, answered. Before I could say anything, Yang brought up her Omni-tool and scanned the room, a couple of red icons appearing on her screen before a burst of electricity occurred in the only potted plant in the room.

"Damn fools. That's the third one this month. I really need to take care of that security leak." She grumbled, standing up and walking up to a wall before punching a small bump in it, then proceeding to do the same thing with another section. "The Alliance really needs to take more steps to bringing Cerberus down."

"Not yet I'm afraid." I commented. "At least, not until they build the SR-2. After that, open season sounds fine by me."

Before we could get the conversation started, there was a knock on the door. Well, not so much a knock, but the equivalent of one as a tone rang out. Yang brought up her Omni-tool again, a small screen showing who was at the door.

"Should have known they'd pick her as a leader after what you told me." She said, turning her device so I could see. On the screen stood Cassandra, standing at parade rest. She keyed her device, unlocking the door for Cassandra to come in.

Out of instinct she walked right in and gave Yang a crisp salute, which Yang returned before telling her to never salute her again, outside of any formal event of course.

"So, Shepard, what do you need?" Yang asked after she had taken a seat.

"Mam, were very confused on our… instructions… for our training." Cassandra answered. I had intended to sit this conversation out, but if she was confused on training, I knew I would likely be lost as well.

"Right." Yang face palmed. "Worst part of a lead by example training method is you actually have to BE there. Screws up my paperwork routine. Just… head back for now. I'll be along after I've finished my chat with your boy toy here."

Cassandra's cheeks immediately flushed a bright crimson, and I found myself slightly irked at being called a boy toy. 'The hell does she mean by that?'

Despite her appearance, she managed to get out a "Yes mam" before turning and heading out.

"You know she's going to kill me later for that, right?"

"Eh, you've got a concussion. You should be safe." Yang dismissively waved her hand. "Now, I assume you have a plan for Cerberus?"

"Kinda sorta." I replied. "It'll have to wait until after Shepard dies."

"She gets brought back, right? I'd hate to lose one of my best soldiers."

"Yeah, but it'll take two years. I'll also need to take an extended leave after she dies." I grinned. "A little over two years' worth if I remember right."

Yang cocked her head. "Two years of leave? I can work miracles but that's stretching things well past their breaking point."

"Then make it an assignment. Either way, I'm not running the risk of Cerberus bringing her back as a puppet dancing to their music."

"That… would probably work." I raised an eyebrow in silent question. "Not the Cerberus puppet part, the assignment part. Prolonged infiltration with only a single handler. You just need to become a Ranger and there shouldn't be any problems."

"So that's what your little groups going to call itself?" I smirked. "Thought you were going for ghosts or something like that."

"Nah. In a way it fits." She stated. "I want at least one Ranger at the head of any major land assault, whether leading the charge or sneaking in and taking out key objectives, I want the phrase 'Rangers lead the way' to put any N7 to shame."

"Don't tell me." I groaned, getting a confused look. "You played that damn game, didn't you?"

"Game? What game?" She replied sheepishly.

"Fucking hell. Remind me to have Blake scratch any CD's of yours she finds."

**Interplanetary Combatives Academy, Codenamed: ****_The Vila_****, Earth**

**June 9****th****, 2173**

Seven gone. Whether it was dropout, kicked out, or washed out, seven of the initial thirty-something were gone. Now there were only twenty-four of us… wait… yeah, twenty-four plus seven is thirty-one. I guess that's how many of us there were at the start.

Not that I blamed them for leaving. The ones who dropped out, I mean. The N7 hopefuls were getting around six hours of sleep a night, with breaks between exercises. We Ranger hopefuls were only managing four, with less breaks.

The Rangers. Yang had gone over it a bit more after her and I had joined back up with everyone else who had, thankfully, taken some initiative and had started on some light workouts. Apparently we were supposed to end up like Yang herself: one man/woman armies. The main reason the group was approved by the brass was due to one of the lesser known intentions that Yang informed only me about.

N7's were the elite, and they had yet to catch the eye of the Counsel and their Specters. The Rangers were a way to put literally humanities best in every area of combat they could and have them come out on top, right before any evidence of our having been there was swept under the rug.

Most of the group was skeptical of just how strong Yang was, despite her reputation. That changed while she led us in our various drills and exercises instead of just barking out orders like a normal DI. She was out front during the endurance runs, lifting the most weights, and fighting the hardest in sparing.

And she would hardly work up a sweat.

By our first break, everyone knew that we were just slowing her down. The first day, I watched as she frightened every male who boosted about how much they lifted by not using the bench press the right way. Oh no, she loaded the bar with over four hundred pounds (I have no clue why they were labeled as pounds) before dropping to the floor to start lifting the entire stand plus weights.

It scared even me how much she had been holding back. Had she truly wanted to win, I doubt I would have left the auditorium during my test.

At the moment, I was working on my biotics. Back at basic, I had to come up with my own exercise routine due to the lack of biotic trainers. That problem was easily dismissed now that I was able to train with people who knew what they were doing.

There were about eight of us with 'full' biotics; people who had a large variety of biotic abilities like adepts and vanguards. People like Cassandra, who could use biotics but only in limited amounts, were labeled 'partial' biotics. Cassandra was the closest in the group to being a 'full' biotic out of the five 'partial' biotics, learning how to use a warp in addition to her lift and throw. Everyone else that was a 'partial' biotic could only manage one ability, and it was split evenly between throw and lift.

"Will, what the hell are you doing?" Yang yelled from across the gym.

"Biotic exercises Blondie." I yelled back. "What's it look like?"

Oh how I loved calling her Blondie. I had kind of stolen the nickname from Junior, a club owner/criminal back in her world, but she had also mentioned it herself. She didn't like it then, and didn't like it now, but that didn't stop me from using it.

Needless to say, everyone thought I was crazy. I just told them I was a vanguard, and that it came with the job description.

"It looks like your wearing heavy armor you idiot!" Ohhhh, that's why she was yelling at me.

"Yeah, that's because it is!" I confirmed. "And unless you've charged a target in your light armor, you won't understand."

Immediately, the other three vanguards shared sympathetic grimaces. Just about every vanguard does it at least once, and there the lucky ones. There are plenty of unlucky vanguards that end up charging at target in a pinch without armor.

I unconsciously rubbed my torso. Both when I charged the mechs on Titan and when I charged Yang during my test had left a… less than pleasant bruise. Thus the heavy armor.

"Then why not wear medium armor?" someone called out. I think it was Mark… no, Marc!

"Because heavy armor lets me hit harder on impact."

"Don't lie." Cassandra yells over. "I know just how much you complain about there still not being enough padding in medium armor."

I grin sheepishly and don't respond, focusing on my biotic workout again.

**Alliance Special Forces Training Grounds, Thundias**

**June 9****th****, 2173**

"SHEPARD! GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR!" I yelled out. Knowing I wouldn't suggest staying outside and exposed to potential snipers without a damn good reason, she and her squad pulled back immediately. A split second later, the doors were blown out and a pair of mounted turrets filled the air with bullets.

"DAMN!" She yelled, the door flying a little too close for comfort. Her squad's saving grace came from the turrets limited line of sight. "Not again." She groaned. "That's the third time this week you've saved my ass!"

I had linked up Cassandra not too long ago, and was more than grateful I managed to save her squad. "You've saved mine plenty of times, and you still have your squad." I replied easily. "Lost them a block back to a trap just like this. I was just out of range."

"Shit. I'm sorry." She grimaced.

"Forget that for now, we gota get in there. Any biotics here that can use a dome?"

One of Shepard's squad raised their hand, a petite blond woman whose name-plate said McCarran. "I can sir. Just reached level four last week."

One of the nicer things about biotics in the Alliance was how easy it was to track your progress. There were only six 'levels' for each ability, with one being the lowest and six being the highest. There were several factors to biotic abilities, things such as what type of throw you use and how you could use it, but it all boiled down to six different levels.

Level one was discovering how to use a specific biotic ability. It's the simplest level, but also one of the most dangerous due to the high chances of injury for misusing an ability. Somehow, and a blame Death for this, when I used my biotic charge back on Titan it had bypassed this level entirely.

Level two is when you've finally figured out how to use the biotic ability without hurting yourself or others, well, unless that was the goal. This was, surprisingly, not the level my charge was when I learned it on Titan, and is the shortest level most biotics stay on.

Levels three and four are for alterations. Things like having a reduced cooldown time, or dealing damage over time on a lift. It's a lot like the first three levels in the third game, where it's just small improvements. The only difference between level three and four is just a matter of strength, and is where a lot of biotics end up plateauing. It's also where by charge was classified due to its ability to refuel my barrier much more than a beginners charge.

Level five is where the final three in-game levels come into play. Things like being able to throw two throws, have ridiculous cooldown times, and other changes that tended to make a biotics abilities stand out. One of the most common level five attributes for barriers was the dome barrier.

Contrary to what the games forced upon me, biotics could actually learn more than one version of an ability. For example; it wouldn't do a biotic any good to reach level five with their barriers and develop a dome barrier that replaces their personal one. So, instead of keeping the dome barrier associated with the same hand gestures, they would change one or two motions. For example: making a fist to make a normal barrier, but keeping your pinky finger extended to make a dome barrier.

There were also biotics that created their own unique traits at level five. I myself am in that group due to how I can create a warp around my hands and maintain it. It's given me an amazing boost to damage whenever I hit stuff (think the biotic melee from ME3) but can be used much more precisely.

Level six is for those who've made their biotics reach a level that is all but unobtainable. This is mostly reserved for classifying powerful Asari, but there are a few humans who managed to reach that level as well.

One of which being yang.

While extremely limited in her skillset, the raw power behind every one of her attacks puts them at a level five. However, due to her limitations, she can't really alter her biotics. The only reason she's classified as a level six is because of her semblance.

Well… I guess it's the remnants of her semblance. Basically she looks like she's on fire instead of the normal biotic blue/purple glow, and it reflects on her attacks. The sheer thought of facing someone who can seemingly start on fire at will, and had what appeared to be fiery biotic attacks has caused far more than a few hostiles to run for their lives.

Thankfully, her biotics didn't actually start people on fire. The Collectors didn't need a run for their money on that.

Another nice thing about biotics was that, in the military, you didn't have the luxury of lying about your levels to show off. These were life or death situation where, if you lied about how good you were, you were guaranteed to lose not only your life, but the lives of those around you.

Being a level five with my barriers, I realistically only needed someone at level three for what I had planned. Her being a level four meant I wouldn't have to try nearly as hard.

"Good. You and I are going to make a mobile barrier around the squad. Make sure that they'll be able to fire through it. We'll then walk out, get shot, and have the rest of your squad get rid of those turrets."

"I normally wouldn't let you just take over." Cassandra said. "But I can't argue with your plan."

"Not trying to take over. Hell, I just got my own squad killed." I sighed. "I just don't see another option here."

"Right. Sorry." She grimaced before turning and addressing McCarran. "Jessy, you're working with Will now. I want both of you to keep as much fire off of us as you can, but don't burn yourselves out. Were still a ways out from our objective and I don't want any more close calls like that one."

"Come on Jess." I said, my barrier springing to life without a hand gesture; something that really annoyed other biotics and tended to make them put forth more effort. "We get to be glorified bullet sponges. Isn't our C.O. the best?"

In almost any other situation, my words would be taken as insubordination. Thankfully, the only official CO the Rangers had was Yang. Anyone else we chose to take orders from was due to respect, and Cass knew I was just messing with her like I always did.

Didn't stop her from flipping me off though.

Jessy brought up her dome barrier with a flick of her wrist and we did our best to merge them together. It's not exactly easy to get two biotics to combined a barrier like this, but we only had since we only had to get one 'side' of the circular domes to line up it was easier than normal. Then we walked out into the turrets field of view and immediately came under fire.

Having a barrier being shot at kind of feels like that pins and needles feeling you get when your foot falls asleep, except it's not on any part of your body. The sensation is there, but it's like it's affecting the air just inches from your skin instead of directly on it.

The turrets overheated and shut down before Cassandra and the rest of her squad came out from cover, their guns firing nonstop until the turrets exploded.

"Yang's gona be pissed at you for breaking Alliance property again Cass." I teased. Cassandra had become well known for her trail of destruction any time we ended up in simulations like this. Most troops stopped firing when the turrets gun barrels dropped down, signaling it had been 'destroyed.'

Cassandra, and whoever was on her squad at the time, didn't stop. Not until it was actually destroyed and she had secured her place in Yang's official office, which had become the punishment room to anyone who caused incidents that weren't small enough to be overlooked. Everyone, myself included, was afraid of entering that room for punishment.

"It's no big deal. I have her taking the funds from your payche… did I say that out loud?"

"Yeah, you did." I smiled. "And I've known for a while now. Why else would I be taking money from your account every time you break something? By the way, four, three, two, one isn't a good pin number for your account."

Cass just gave me a face that looked like a mix of surprise, anger, and dread all in one. I just smirked before motioning for us to keep moving.

Cassandra took point while I kept myself towards the center on sniper watch, letting my mind wander slightly. Thundias was home to about a dozen full scale cities of various sizes that the Alliance used for urban warfare training. The planet itself was the third closest garden planet to Earth, being an almost perfect copy of earths own atmosphere. Since it was off the mass relay network it wasn't discovered until after first contact war.

By then, the colonization boom had taken a significant dive over fears of the Alliance being unable to prevent another incident like at Shanxi, so the Alliance turned it into a military planet to put the people on earth's minds at ease. Over the years, the Alliance has funneled billions of credits into turning the planet into the best training ground in history.

Sadly, that was still a quite a few years away from becoming a reality. Of the dozen cities on Thundias, over two-thirds of them were small to mid-sized colony towns. There were still over 34 other training cities the Alliance was either building or planning on building, along with a newer, more advanced version of the Interplanetary Combatives Academy. Should Yang's hopes for the Ranger's become reality, the Alliance would be making room for an even more advanced facility dedicated solely to Ranger training.

By the time the new ICA would be complete, if everything kept to schedule, eight years will have passed. If the Rangers become an official off-the-books wet work team, then they'd either take the new ICA building for themselves until the Ranger's building would be complete, or more likely, funding would be diverted to build and finish the Ranger's building before the new ICA.

If I could chose, I'd pick the first option, simply so I could carve Ranger symbols into just about everything and annoy the living shit out of the troops there. It also made sense in the long run financially, but the Alliance would do whatever it took to get someone into the Specters, and more importantly, someone onto the Council.

I threw up a dome just as a sniper fired, keeping its target safe. "Hey guys, just in case you didn't know, we've been spotted."

To my surprise, Cassandra just kept moving like nothing had happened. "You need Jessy to help you out? Only a hundred meters till were safe."

Only a hundred? Was I zoned out that long? "Nah, should be fine unle-" Two more snipers started to fire on the barrier alongside the first. "Ok yeah, help and running sounds good."

Without waiting for an order, Jessy flicked our wrist and brought up her dome barrier. Thankfully our formation this time made merging the barriers unnecessary due to how they overlapped, so we were free to start running rather than get shot at some more while the barriers merged.

The goal of the exercise had been simple. Four teams starting at different points in the city were to advance to the extraction area, with the first team being the winner. What I learned, however, was that there was a fifth team of N-recruits that were supposed to take us out before we reached the finish. Working with other teams wasn't forbidden, but linking up with one was unlikely, so I lucked out in that regard.

Unfortunately, I wasn't lucky enough. As the sole survivor of my team, I was guaranteed to loose. Winning requirements meant the full team, not just the squad leader, making it to the extraction. Of course, that wasn't going to stop me from helping another team do what I failed to do.

The snipers continued to fire as rapidly as they could without overheating their weapons, an issue I had insisted on Yang to have some R&amp;D eggheads work on that had yet to yield any results, as we sprinted to the extraction point. Three quarters of the way, two more snipers joined the fun and put serious stress on my half of the barrier.

Without warning, several vehicles around us exploded, knocking Jessy's dome out completely, causing her to pass out in one of Cassandra's teammate's arms when they caught her in the explosion.

"KEEP MOVING!" Cassandra yelled. She knew my limits almost better than I did, and knew I wouldn't be able to hold up my dome against five snipers for long. A complete understatement really. I was completely exhausted and would end up like Jessy in three shots if I was lucky. One if-

A shot rang out just as the world turned black.

**Infirmary #012, Thundias**

**Three hours later**

"So what did we all learn today?" Yang addressed us. Of the four teams deployed, only Cassandra's had made it, and even then only due to my assistance with my barriers. The rest of the teams managed to get a few of their members in, but my team was completely whipped out.

"That biotic exhaustion friggen sucks." I deadpanned from my hospital bed. I had already been checked and given a large pill that would help with the worst of the exhaustion. "And that I shouldn't be a leader which, let me remind you, I said before the simulation started."

"I was going more towards concealed turrets are a bitch." Riley griped, having had the misfortune to end up in my squad. She wasn't injured, but was required to have a checkup along with the rest of my team, who all grunted in agreeance.

"Good. Then tomorrow you'll keep a better eye out for traps." Yang smiled. "Which have doubled in amount."

A collective groan was heard from three of the teams. Cassandra's was absent due to their victory and got to sit out of tomorrow simulation, though Cassandra herself was going to be punished for destroying more Alliance property.

"Well, now it's tripled." She smiled wider, letting out a small laugh when everyone collectively bit their lips to prevent even louder groaning. "Same teams, same objective. Let's hope you all can do better this time. Will, if you're not fit for the test tomorrow, you and your team will be exempt."

I knew better than to cheer at that. Sadly, my teammates didn't.

"Instead you'll all be sprinting AROUND the city until I tell you to stop."

"Idiots. What did you expect would happen?" I reprimanded my team as they groaned again. "How many times will she do that before you realize she WANTS you to gripe?"

"Come on Will, I'm not that evil." Yang defended herself, the look on her face completely betraying any sincerity in her words. "I'm just making half of this up as I go, honest!"

The collective glare she received made it perfectly clear no one believed her.

"Man, tough crowd. Well, simulation starts at 1030 hours. I want you all there half an hour early. The rest of the day is yours. Dismissed." Yang said, giving a wave over her shoulder as she walked out.

"Team four, I want us there an hour before the sim starts." I said with a smile. "See you all tomorrow!"

I had rolled out of the bed and took off down the corridor well before the yells of protest reached my ears. I gave Yang a friendly wave as I passed her, getting an amused smile in return as I headed to my favorite location on the whole planet.

The Mess.

Military food sucks, plain and simple. It had improved over the years, depending on who you asked, but the nutritional value from it was noting to scoff at. The Mess normally referred to the mess hall or room, depending on location, where the 'food' was served. The Mess on Thundias, however, was a full-fledged culinary academy.

Due to the high amount of both completed and planned training facilities on the planet, the brass actually came up with a good idea on how to feed the troops, that idea being the creation of several culinary academies. Chefs from all over Alliance space came to study at these schools and tested their dishes, and their ability to put out lots of food, on the troops training here.

What resulted was the best tasting military food in the galaxy, available twenty-seven hours a day (the average day on Thundias), and was paid for by the Alliance. Troopers who went to Thundias never wanted to leave, even if it meant horrifyingly tough training. Being a biotic meant I got to eat more of the delicious food, and my overclocked amp meant I had to eat even more than that.

I seriously considered flipping off anyone who told me to leave that heavenly room. More often than not, I did.

I ran into the building, ignoring the cries of people milling around outside the building. They were in the way of a damn good meal! What else was I to do, stand there and not eat? The halls were surprisingly deserted and, to my amazement, so was the dining hall. I was worried for a second until I saw all the food, fresh as it could be while still being cooked, just waiting for me.

Without hesitation I scooped up as much as I could onto several plates before grabbing the seat closest to the food. It was only after my second helping that I heard a low growling.

'No way am I still starving. Maybe its indigestion?' I thought to myself as I got up to get some desert. It only got louder as I neared the food, only to quiet down as I walked away. Halfway into my ice-cream, something brushed up against my arm.

Something with scales.

Contrary to what people outside say they heard, I didn't scream my ears off. Instead, I froze in place, spoon halfway to my mouth. I could see something in my peripherals, but nothing more than a dark blob. Ever so slowly, I turned my head, just centimeters at a time so I wouldn't startle whatever it was.

Slowly, the blob came into focus, and I tensed up. A Varren, light brown with a sort of green pattern on his back. Just looking at the beast made it clear it weighed over a hundred kilos, almost all of it muscle. These beasts were raised to kill by Batarians and Krogan for a reason, and this one would be a well sought-after companion for either species.

It was currently staring at the ice-cream bowl on the table, its head slowly creeping forward as if it were stalking an animal.

Slowly, I picked up the ice-cream bowl. The beast clearly didn't like that, judging from the growl it was giving me. I ignored it and slowly moved the bowl closer to the large varren, its eyes tracking it as it approached. Then, when the bowl was finally close enough…

It licked the ice-cream.

Then it licked it again.

The Varren was so enamored by the taste, it didn't notice that the bowl was now on the ground, and that I had gotten up. It was also so consumed with eating ice-cream that it failed to notice I had returned until after its bowl was completely clean. A clanging of ceramic got its attention, its eyes shooting back to me only to start shaking its rear end.

Because I had two more bowls, each filled with the delectable dairy treat.

"Eat as much as you want friend." I smiled. "It's thanks to you that no one's here to stop us from eating our hearts out after all."

The Varren let out a small, almost amused bark before enjoying the new bowl in front of it.

Almost half an hour later, along with an entire gallon container of ice-cream, the Varren and I were now the best of friends. I was able to pet him without him growling, in some areas he'd actually lean into it, and he got free reign on a gallon of ice-cream.

But like all good things, they had to end, and in this case, it came from Cassandra bursting through the door with a rifle. In an instant, she saw the Varren, me, and what she thought was blood when really it was just ketchup the Varren had knocked over.

All in all, not the best thing for her to see, so I threw up a VERY weak dome around the Varren and I just as she fired.

"WILL! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU PROTECTING THAT THING?" She yelled, her rifle aimed straight at the Varren.

"He's not a thing. Sparky McBoomboom and I are friends! Right Sparky?" Sparky let out a light bark in conformation, sitting patiently by my side. "See? Best friends. We bonded over ice-cream!"

By this point, Cassandra was completely dumfounded. "You realize that… Sparky… here is the reason no one else is able to eat?"

"Yeah! Its awesome! All this delicious food just for us two!" I smiled, scratching Sparky right behind his ear, one of his favorite spots. "Well, three now that you're here."

"Why am I ever worried about you?" She muttered, all but banging her head against a wall. "Rush past a crowd to get to food, yeah, but befriending a wild Varren over ice-cream? And what the hell is that on your shirt? It looks like blood!"

"Oh, Sparky knocked over some ketchup. He apologized for it though." Almost in response, Sparky whimpered and set his paw on my leg. "Are all Varren this smart? Because I swear he understands me perfectly."

**TEN MINUTES LATER**

"Will…"

"Yeahh?"

"Why is there a Varren following you around like a dog?"

"He's my new pet!" I replied cheerfully.

Sparky and I were in Yang's quarters, I having been summoned to explain what the hell happened at the Mess. Except, instead of looking angry or pissed, Yang looked amused.

"Is that so? What, get jealous of me and Blake always together?" she teased.

"Nah, I'm just good with animals. Half the time Blake's with me on my shoulder." Yang just rolled her eyes in response. "Besides, I just befriended him so he wouldn't eat me after he ate my ice-cream."

Sparky conveniently turned his head to look away, refusing to meet my gaze.

"Bastard understands everything I've said. Are they really that smart?"

"Well, ones that grow up on eezo rich planets often develop biotics. You know that from that Jack chick. If they can use biotics, they have to be smart."

"Yeah… that makes sense I guess." I looked over as Sparky looked at me. "You can keep a secret, right?" An affirmative bark was my reply. "Good! So Yang, can I keep him? Pleaseeee?"

I had put on my best pleading face, which does next to nothing against Yang, but Sparky was a natural. He got up, walked behind Yang's desk and laid his head right in her lap, his eyes starring right up into hers.

"There's no way he's a normal Varren." Yang and I said at the same time. Yang looked away, but sparky just put his paw on her lap, being careful of his claws, and started to lightly whimper. When she just looked farther away, he whimpered louder.

"Fine! He can stay!" Yang caved in, reaching down to pet the now excited Varren. "Blake's going to kill me, but he can stay. I'll pull some strings so he'll get a full medical examination and be allowed throughout the base, but only if you're with him."

"You got that Sparky?" I asked. "If I'm gone, you can't wander around. Don't want you getting shot because you took off without me."

Sparky barked happily and trotted back over to my side before laying down.

"Just so you know, that medical exam will take longer than a day to set up." Yang continued. "So he won't be going with you tomorrow. How is he with Cassandra?"

"Well, she's still pissed at me for being reckless, so I'm not quite sure. Last I saw before he and I came here, she was pinned under him getting her face licked." I chuckled. "Can't imagine it's too bad."

"Well, if it is, then that's her punishment for breaking more of the Alliance's toys."

"About that." I glared. "She said something about it coming out of MY paycheck?"

"Ummm…. Yeah… about that… Oh, got an important call to make, gota go bye!" Yang stammered before sprinting out of the room. Sparky gave me a confused glace with his head cocked to one side.

"I love my job." I smiled, getting up and walking out with Sparky happily trailing beside me.

**Alliance Special Forces Training Grounds, Thundias**

**June 10****th****, 2173 1000 hour**

"Alright William, were here an hour early." Riley complained. "Mind filling us in now?"

"More importantly, why the hell do you have a Varren with you?" Jonas, a tall, dark haired giant, questioned. He was one of the two engineers we had, the other being Riley.

"He's with me because Cassandra hasn't picked him up for doggy daycare. Just ignore him when he gets rowdy. Works for me." I smirked as Sparky nudged my hip with his head. "As for why I've gathered you all here an hour early, it's so we can actually talk through a strategy. Last time we were just dropped in without any warning, but this time we have time to plan."

"We also know to expect more traps that the first run. Means were going to be moving pitifully slow. Perfect targets for those snipers." Jane, the youngest of the group and, by far, the shortest, was an adept. Standing a full head and a half under me, I had to resist the urge to crouch when talking to her.

"So the problem is the snipers." Victoria summed up. She had bright red hair with a personality to match, often joking that that's the reason she became a soldier. "Take them out, and we should be fine."

"No, that still leaves the traps. The only ones we encountered were those door turrets and Will's experience with the exploding vehicles." Tony, our infiltrator, spoke up. He was an easy going guy, they type who could blend in with any group and get along. "Yang's a bitch when it comes to this stuff. She'll likely throw in all new toys for us to play with instead of re-using her old tricks. I vote we stick inside where we can, only heading outside when we have to."

"It'll keep us out of the eyes of those snipers too." Riley added. "I vote for Tony's plan."

"Anything that keeps me from getting shot." Jonas agreed. Jane just silently nodded.

"I still think we should take out those snipers." Victoria huffed. "If blondie was telling the truth, our objective will be in the same spot at back of a dead end. That sniper alley was effective, so there's no reason not to try it again. We know where they are, so we take them out."

Victoria's observation split the group down the middle, with Riley and Tony for sneaking through buildings and Jane and Victoria for taking out the snipers. Jonas liked both plans, since they kept him from being the bullet sponge, leaving the decision to me. After a few minutes of thought, I grinned evilly.

**I know I'm dropping a lot of terms and places on you all, and I'm both sorry and not sorry about that, so I decided to start making Codex entries for things I use in the story. If I don't explain it in depth in the story itself, or if you all message me saying you're confused about something, it will be in the Codex. Get confused by something, let me know and check the Codex on the next chapter!**

**THUNDIAS**

The third garden world closest to Earth, Thundias falls well within Alliance territory there was no disputing its claim. Surprisingly unwanted by the general population, the Alliance military took the planet and has spent billions of credits into developing it as the most efficient military planet in galactic history.

Plans for the planets development span into the next century, and as new technology continues to be developed, those plans change rapidly. After the development of its training grounds, defenses (both on the ground and in space), and research facilities, the Alliance plans to turn it into the largest shipyard in recorded existence. Sadly, most of these plans are just dreams of today's military commanders, as the completion of the planets development will likely take longer than the Alliance's worst case estimations.

The planet itself is almost freighting in how earthlike it is. Astrologists are constantly poring over the star charts of the past century to figure out how they missed such a perfect planet. The only changes in atmosphere are trace at best, and other than Varren, the wildlife is very docile consisting of mostly avian species. It is unknown how Varren came to be on Thundias, as they were not brought to the planet, but several research teams have been dedicated themselves to finding an answer.

The planet has large deposits of Eezo and Iridium, both of which were discovered in large quantities after planetary development was well on its way. Due to being a garden world and being classified as a military planet, Counsel Law forbids the mining in large scale, and training facilities had been built upon the richest of the planets mineral nodes making mining too cost expensive.


	7. Mini-Announcement

Darkness, not a speck of light anywhere. A feeling like the darkness will never go away suddenly disappears as a brilliant light illuminates a small stage. Two figures standing side by side, a man and a woman.

"What's up everyone? I'm sure you all know who I am, but for those who simply skipped to this chapter, my name's William, but you can just call me Will."

"And I'm Cassandra. Now, obviously, were from the author's story: _A Mass Self Insert_, and were hear to clear the air a bit."

A screen appeared behind the two, completely blank before flickering and displaying something. A series of comments of sorts, listed in order of most recent.

"As you can see, this is the review section of the story." The man, William, gestured at the screen. "We'd like you all to take a good look at the current top review."

"For those of you who can't see, or for those of you watching this well after it airs, we'll read it off for you. Will, if you please?"

"Why do I have to read it? I hate public speaking! You do it!" The man complained.

"The author wrote you as a model for himself, and the review was directed at him! It only makes sense for you to read it!" The woman countered.

"Damn you and your logic. Fine. The review was posted by HellsMaji, and in essence, it reads that he/she thought Cass and I were cute at the start, but now finds us annoying."

"Its probably just you." Cassandra interrupted.

"A fair point, I do tend to annoy a lot of people, but that's not the case here. They goes on to say that they don't enjoy stories with abusive women in relationships, which is perfectly understandable. They also explain that the frequency of which Cass hits me, quoting the scene where I end up with a concussion fairly closely to how it was written, is an example of an abusive relationship."

"He/She then tells the author that it would be very much appreciated, and a big improvement on how the story is read, if the violence between Cass and I is toned down or removed all together." William continued. "We here in the story: A Mass Self Insert, on behave of the author, wish to convey our sincerest apologies."

"It was never the author's intent to make it seem like I was an abusive woman." Cassandra stated. "And we want to take this chance to both set the record straight."

"The problem, as the author feels, is largely due to the concussion that I received in the last chapter. He feels that it was poorly written and, at this moment, is currently re-writing the scene to how it should have been." Spoke William. "But until it gets posted, we would like to explain what the scene should have portrayed."

"When I struck William, it wasn't supposed to be my punch that gave him the concussion. What WAS supposed to give him the concussion was his head accidentally hitting the frame of the bed as I tried to catch him." Cassandra admitted. "Now, I know that changing this scene hardly does anything to toning down how I look in the story; an abusive girlfriend."

"The author would like it to be known that, in the next chapter, Cassandra's actions will start to be explained." Will picked up. "Chapter seven won't showcase Cassandra's turnaround but will hint at it. The chapter should be posted sometime in the next few days or next week, as the author will be going on vacation over Labor Day and there is no internet where he is staying. The chapter is largely ready, and is being edited for errors."

"We sincerely apologize to anyone who may have had bad memories brought up due to the content of the story, or have felt uncomfortable reading it. It was never in the author's intent for my character to be portrayed in that light so strongly." Cassandra continued. "My hitting Will was only supposed to be good natured, but unknowingly hard. More along the lines of 'you don't know your own strength,' rather than abusive."

"On a more positive note, the author would like to both thank HellsMaji for their important review, and encourage others to speak up if they have a problem with the story." Will smiled. "While yes, the Reapers are coming and the fate of the galaxy is in danger, this is supposed to be a fun story that people enjoy reading. If there is a problem, don't hesitate to let the author know, either by review or private message. He takes every review and comment about the story seriously, and wants people to have a say if there's something they dislike."

"Well, I think that's about it for us to wrap this up. Like Will said earlier, expect chapter seven sometime in the next few days, or next week. So until then…"

Nodding to each other, Will and Cass both shouted, "HAVE A GOOD TIME EVERYONE!"


	8. Biotic sex magnet Pt1

**IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER UPDATE! I told you all it wouldn't take that much longer in the mini-announcement. Stupid vacations being mixed blessings/curses, with their 'fun' and 'relaxation' alongside the utter lack of internet.**

**Whatever.**

**So anyway, collage has started back up again. I cant really guarantee on time updates, but I'm not taking as many classes so it shouldn't throw me off too much.**

**Now, on to the reviews! Due to the whole announcement chapter, I'm adding the reviews left there into here as well. **

**Soran51: **Thanks man, here's hoping this one actually gets posted on time without delays.

**TheRangerBoy:** He was my best friend but it was time for him to go. I didn't want him to keep suffering like he was. And sorry about it not being a new chapter, but I did say it wouldn't be long for this one!

**General-joseph-dickson AND shougokage: **Thank you!

**General-joseph-dickson ****_(second review)_****:** I'd rather address an issue that was brought up instead of ignoring it. Should it have taken up a chapter slot, maybe/maybe not, but that's the past now.

** : **I'm trying, believe me I'm trying.

**Cprime.3000: **Yeah, I've seen those stories as well. There's a decent amount of stories that do need the Codex and use it correctly, but this story will have quite a bit of new tech and concepts so I figured I'd need it so I don't confuse you all. As for Sparky, well, just keep reading and we'll see…

And yeah, I got a review on this. Like I explained, I feel like it was mostly that one scene that caused the issue to really flare up, and only because I didn't clarify it. I can see where they're coming from at the very least. That's why I wanted to address it rather than leave it and hope it goes away.

**SeizedChief:** It's not a crossover, like I've explained. There are some aspects from different games/anime/books/TV shows but that doesn't make it a crossover. It's a Self-Insert, like the name says, that just has some extra parts to help it along and make the story more interesting.

**AnguishCO**: That's kind of the vibe I was going for with Sparky. Glad to see someone pick up on it.

**ThelonewolfNT:** That's the vibe I was going for. Glad to see I didn't screw up how people should view her too badly.

**Akatosh117demon:** Thanks for the support. I can't say my writing is good (no one is a bigger critic than themselves) but it's nice to hear people enjoy my story.

**Blaze1992:** You have no idea how often I've bounced the issue of parings around in my head. Even before I started writing this story, I had probably spent a month thinking about just that one issue alone, and I'm still not decided on it. Your idea of a multi paring sounds interesting, so I might try that, but I can tell you now this won't be a harem situation. Kinda funny though, how this chapter can basically set up the harem style perfectly though.

As for new tech, weapons, ships, and all that good stuff, I have some things planned, but they shouldn't be too over the top. Obviously I can't just bring in the UNSC INFINITY, give it a new name, and say it works. Anything I chose to put in, other than the whole 'Death brought me here magic' should be possible inside the ME Universe, I just might be stretching things so they fit.

**So, little question, last chapter I started calling Cassandra Cass instead of Cassie like I had before. I kind of like Cass better, but I want your opinion on it. That said, this chapter will continue the Cass trend unless you all reply telling me to switch back, in which case I'll edit the chapters so they say Cassie instead.**

**Now, without any more delays, let's get into the TRUE Chapter 7!**

**Chapter 7**

**Biotic Sex Magnet, Pt.1**

* * *

**Alliance Special Forces Training Grounds, Thundias**

**June 10****th****, 2173**

No plan survives first contact with the enemy. A common rule that, during my career, had yet to be proven wrong. From my training back on Titan, to yesterday's death trap of a simulation, everything broke down once the bullets started flying.

Thankfully, there was a distinct lack of hostile fire, a pleasant surprise since yesterdays glorified ass-kicking started with a hot landing zone filled with artillery fire. It was supposed to simulate a beachhead landing, according to Yang, but every team had some 'stray' shells land almost dangerously close when we slowed down.

"You sure about this Will?" Riley asked over a private comm. link. The shuttle's doors were open and it made talking out loud impossible.

"I get enough mother hen worrying from Cass, please don't start up as well." I chuckled. "Besides, we all agreed to the plan. Kinda too late to go back to the drawing board."

"Doesn't help to ease my nerves." She mumbled.

'Ahh, so that's what this is about.' I mentally sighed. "First command?"

"Yeah." She admitted. "Does it get easier to deal with?"

"The nerves?" She nodded. "Kind of. It's a mixed blessing: on one hand you're doubting yourself, but on the other that doubting makes you more alert to potential problems. The more you lead, the less you'll doubt yourself, but it should never go away."

"So what, you're nervous too?" Damn, is she really that freaked out?

"Of course I am. I'm heading off on my own against a team of snipers with not confirmed location." I grinned. "But as a team leader, I can't let it get to me. Before I deployed to Titan for training, Cass was sure to beat that lesson into me. Literally at some points. I have faith in you Riley. You'll make a great leader."

"Thanks Will." She said as the shuttle finally landed. She then gave me a final glance and said "Good luck" before ordering the team into the nearest building.

"You too. You'll need it." I muttered to myself after closing the comm. link. "Not as much as me, but you'll need it just the same." With that, I started off towards the extraction zone in a jog. Slow enough that I'd see any traps, but fast enough for me to get out of the kill zone if I missed one. "Really wish we could go back to the drawing board on this one. Me and my brilliant ideas."

The vote had been more or less split between hiding from the snipers and taking them out, each had their advantages and disadvantages. Hiding meant moving slower but kept us safe, and attacking meant the risk of losing but would help the other two teams.

So I decided on a compromise.

Riley would take temporary control of the team while I went off to hunt down the snipers. The team would be able to stay out of the snipers scopes as they moved forward. When I took out the snipers, they would be able to take to the streets, a much faster rout than slowly moving through the buildings.

I would hunt down the snipers, who would be reluctant to shoot at me, thinking I was scouting ahead of the group. They'd wait until everyone was out in the open before firing, eager to take out as many people as possible. Instead, I'd get to safety as I went from cover to cover.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't work forever. Eventually they'd get tired of waiting and try to take me out. It was the one hole in my plan that I couldn't fill. Sure I could hold up against the snipers yesterday, but I was still exhausted from it. No way in hell I could hold up against the five of them again today. Plus I had to deal with the extra traps.

In the end I mentally said "fuck it" and decided to wing it, and in doing so I wanted to get as much attention as I could. Naturally, that meant setting off any trap I could find, especially the explosives.

Oh boy, did I love my job.

* * *

**Alliance Special Forces Training Grounds Observation Area, Thundias**

**June 10****th****, 2173**

"That idiot." Cassandra sighed. "I get his plan, but is shooting EVERY explosive canister really necessary?"

"I think it's a great idea." Yang smiled. "Who doesn't love a good explosion?"

Sparky barked happily, an indication that he too enjoyed explosions.

"You two really were made for each other." Yang muttered, looking right at Sparky.

The Varren happily barked again, his mouth almost resembling a smile.

"That Thin-" Cassandra paused at hearing Sparky growl "Varren is way too smart."

Once again, Sparky let out a happy bark. This time, however, he let out a low growl afterward as he stared at the screen. Noticing where the Varren's attention was, the two girls returned their focus to the view screen just in time to watch William narrowly avoid getting hit by a sniper round.

"Looks like they finally got sick of waiting." Yang smirked. "About time too. He's been setting off those explosives for almost an hour now."

"Idiot." Cassandra muttered, glancing down to see Sparky's reaction. "What the… Where did that thing run off to?!"

Immediately, Yang's head snapped down to where the Varren had been standing, only to be greeted by the floor. The two immediately turned their heads to the door, which finished closing just after they laid eyes on it.

They then ran up to said door and tried opening it, but when Yang went to swipe her access card (Basically a temp card, issued to command personnel for the duration of their soldiers simulation) she found it was missing.

"PRIVATE! BRING UP THE OUTPOST ENTERANCE CAMERA!" Yang ordered the instant she realized the card was missing.

"Bringing it up now!" The private replied, his voice laced with surprise at the sudden order.

The main display flickered and changed to an image of the front door. The two armed guards that normally stood at attention were on the floor, with Sparky standing at the door with Yang's access card in his mouth. The Varren quickly swiped the card and dropped it inside the building before taking off.

The entire room of technicians, along with Yang and Cassandra, only had one thought.

"That Varren is too damn smart."

* * *

**Alliance Special Forces Training Grounds, Thundias**

**N-Recruit Sniper Squad**

"Hey Sev, get your ass over here. Bastards quicker than he looks." I ordered over the comm.

_"__Oh-ho! Finally something the great Xavier can't hit!" _Sev teased._ "Horrono, you record that?"_

_"__Yeah, I got it." _The man replied._ "Though you'll have to pay me for it."_

_"__Oh, I think I can come up with a few ways to 'pay' you." _She flirted._ "How about after this, we hit up one of those 'private' recreational rooms?"_

"Sev, if you don't get up here, I'll make sure no man ever sleeps with you again." I growled. "Mostly due to the gaping hole your mouth will be after I knock your teeth out."

"Fine, fine." She cooed. "Clearly it's your time of the month."

'That woman will be the death of me.' I thought, firing my rifle now that it had cooled down. Once again, my target managed to avoid getting hit, but my shots were getting closer. With Sev firing a shot first, there was no way we couldn't take him down. A minor disturbance at the edge of my vision informed me that Sev had arrived and had taken up a firing position.

"Target location?"

"Grid five-seven-two." I replied. "He's currently behind the red skycar near the crater."

"I see him." She said with a predatory tone, one which frightened me no matter how often I heard it. "Ready to fire when you are boss man."

"Hold until I'm cooled down. He's great at dodging so your gona make him move into my crosshairs."

"Rodger tha… additional contact spotted. Varren, heading towards our targets location."

"Poor bastard." I chuckled. "Well, we don't want any actual casualties. Hold your fire. Thomas, Morgan, get down there and help him out."

_"__Copy that boss man."_ The two replied.

"Were really not going to fire on the Varren?" Sev questioned.

"Nope. Don't want anyone close by knowing there's two of us up here." I answered. "Besides, if he can't take care of a damn Varren, he shouldn't be here."

* * *

**Alliance Special Forces Training Grounds, Thundias**

**William**

"There's no way this will ever work." I groaned from behind the skycar I was using for cover. "He's gota have some help up there. Why aren't they… Sparky?"

Sparky, upon recognizing me, changed from his trot/jog into a full on run. A thought popped into my head and I grinned. It was just crazy enough to work.

"Go with it boy!" I half yelled, causing sparky to slow down in confusion until I started to run away, or more specifically, towards the building with the snipers. Sparky, to his credit, let out a predatory bark and chased after me.

As I neared the building, two soldiers in pitch black armor stepped out of the building, their assault rifles raised to take out what they thought was a stray Varren and its prey. Instead, they were charged by a Vanguard and, since sparky could run faster than me and had caught up, get tackled by a Varren. I quickly finished off the soldier I charged with a quick hit to the head with my warp fist, as I had started to call it, before turning and doing the same to the struggling soldier pinned under Sparky.

I was just thankful Sparky recognized them as non-lethal threats, and instead of eating the man, was busy licking his visor while laying on top of him. After my warp fist hit the man's head, Sparky stood up and happily trotted to my side.

"Sparky, I'm glad you could help me out, but why are you here?" I asked, not expecting an explanation. "You were supposed to stay with Cassandra and Yang."

Sparky let out a small whimper while looking towards the most resent crater, formed from my decision to start blowing things up. He then looked up towards the top of the building we were under and gave another whimper before turning back to me, giving a happy bark.

"You're seriously too damn smart. There's no way your just some average Varren." I sighed. "But that doesn't explain how you got out of that bunker."

Sparky just nonchalantly looked away.

"Fine, don't tell me. Not like I won't hear the end of this from Yang and Cass anyway." I groaned. "Let's just head up and take out the snipers. If Yang hasn't radioed in telling me to send you back, then it must be fine."

* * *

**Alliance Special Forces Training Grounds Observation Area, Thundias**

"NO! IT'S NOT FINE! SEND THAT DAMNED VARREN BACK HERE!" Cassandra screamed into the radio. "DAMN IT WILL! SEND HIM BACK!"

"Cassandra, stand down." Yang sighed. "This bunker is designed to prevent anyone from helping them over the radio. Only in the event of a planetary attack does a line of communication open up to the troops in the simulation from here."

"THAT'S STUPID! WHO THE HELL DESIGNED THIS BUNKER!" she yelled

"Calm down! That's an order!" Yang barked out, clearly annoyed with all the screaming. "Even if we did have a way to talk to him, I wouldn't order Will to send him back."

"Why not!" Cassandra questioned, her voice still loud, but nowhere near her previous volume.

"You should know the answer to that." Yang smirked. "After all, it's not uncommon for Varren to stray into these simulations. Your team encountered three yesterday."

"But it's not a stray. It's breaking the rules!"

"What rules? The only instructions I gave were to get to the extraction zone without dying, and that they couldn't leave the city." Yang reminded her. "For all I care, they could destroy the city if it meant no casualties for their teams."

That piqued Cassandra interest. "But what about all the times I've broken Alliance equipment? You always chew me out on that!"

"Yeah…" Yang scratched the back of her head, her eyes avoiding Cassandras. "I really hate paperwork… so I yell at you in hopes that I don't get more."

"I don't even have the energy to be pissed anymore." Cass huffed. "Between you, Will, and the rest of the idiots here it's a wonder I don't go insane."

"You're a volunteer for the most dangerous, life threatening position the Alliance has." Yang chuckled. "You, along with the rest of them, are all certifiably insane in my book."

Cassandra just glared but didn't argue, both because she was tired, and Yang was right.

* * *

**Alliance Special Forces Training Grounds, Thundias**

**N-Recruit Sniper Team**

"Thomas, Morgan, give me an update." The only reply was silence. "Thomas, Morgan, report in!"

_"__We're sorry, but all line are currently unavailable. Please hang up try again in thirty minutes for a line to open. We hope we haven't lost you as a loyal customer." _A female digital voice answered over the comm.

"Where's my squad mates!"

_"__I'm sorry, I'm not qualified to answer those questions. If you would like to speak to a representative, press one. For more options, press two."_

"There is no numbers!"

_"__For options in Spanish, press three. To repeat this message press four."_ The voice droned on. _"If you would like to hear a music while you wait, press five. To hear options in French, press six."_

"Sev, Horrono, set up by the door. Thomas and Morgan are down." I spat out as the digital voice continued. "That bastards on his way up and I want him taken out the instant he opens the door!"

_"__To hear options from an Asari, press eleven."_

"THERE IS NO ELEVEN YOU FUCKING WHORE!"

* * *

**Alliance Special Forces Training Grounds, Thundias**

**William**

"Please remember to keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times." I spoke into the Omni-tool I liberated from one of the downed troopers. The device had a program, one I quickly copied, that distorted the user's voice into that of an old fashioned tech support message. I was having a blast with the new program, and had elevated to much more… diverse, topics. "For a recipe on how to bake apple pie, press forty-seven."

"WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

"You have selected, repeat this message. We're sorry, but all lines are currently unavailable. Please hang up and try again in thirty minutes for a line to open. We hope we haven't lost you as a loyal customer."

"It's far too late for that!" a new voice came in over the comm., this one distinctly feminine. "I'd like to cancel my subscription."

"You have selected; Music. Please wait while the music is loaded." I lightly chuckled as I opened the Omni-tools music section and proceeded to blare the music as loudly as I could. For some reason it was Asari folk music, something I only shuddered to think about.

A light ding indicated I was as far up as the elevator could take me. The doors opened and I stepped into the maintenance/service area, a dimly lit room with all the tools and parts necessary to repair the elevators. "Alright Sparky. Head up to the roof access door and wait until I give the word."

A quiet bark confirmed he understood before trotting up the stairs that lead to the roof. The maintenance area was directly below the roof, located on the fourteenth floor. Certainly not a drop I was wanting to experience, but with my plan it just might happen.

I calmly walked over to a window and, using my warp fist, gently cut a hole big enough for me to fit through. I then carefully leaned out of said hole and started to carve two hand holes.

There were a number major differences in my plan. First off, the height I would be climbing was much smaller, only a floor instead of ten. Next, there wasn't the same level of wind like I had to deal with back in Rio. Third, I actually had help this time in the form of Sparky, the super smart Varren.

Unfortunately, I was going up against three people this time. Each of them armed with ranged weapons and possibly biotics, and I had no way of finding out where they actually were until I had climbed up and peaked, which might give my position away.

I neared the ledge and hoped I didn't pop up right in their view before turning down the volume over their team comm. link.

"Error, music is no longer available. To report the error, please press one. For more options, press twelve." I grinned as a stream of rather creative curses were shouted at me as I popped up over the ledge. I got lucky and was hidden behind a rooftop generator. A quick pull and I was over the ledge and moving into cover, grabbing the spare assault rifle I picked off the same soldier I took the Omni-tool from.

A quick peek around the corner proved I was even luckier. The three of them were set up in a half circle with their backs facing me. "I'm sorry, but that isn't a valid option. Please try again. Your options are: to report a problem, press one. For an Italian pizza recipe, press thirty-nine."

"SCREW YOU DIRTBAG! GET UP HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU!" The man on the right yelled.

"Ok." I replied before tossing a light shockwave at them. I watched with glee as the man's face changed from surprise to horror as he found himself airborne for a solid two seconds before landing on his ass.

Immediately after, the door broke down and out came Sparky, who quickly tackled the one person who managed to avoid the shockwave. He then glowed blue and hit the man in the head, mimicking how I had taken down the two troopers downstairs.

* * *

**Alliance Special Forces Training Grounds Observation Area, Thundias**

"THE VARENS A BIOTIC!?" literally everyone in the room yelled in surprise. Even Yang, who had read Sparky's physical examination from the previous night, was surprised at the scene.

"That makes sense." Yang groaned. "There were trace amounts of Eezo in some of the food that was prepared in the Mess last night. Biotic Varren have a need for micro-doses of Eezo in their food like most Asari, since they grew up on planets with plants and wildlife filled with it as well.

"I'm being replaced by a Varren." Cassandra muttered. "Will's replacing me with a biotic Varren that doesn't punch him."

'Ugh-oh. Good luck there Will.'

* * *

**Alliance Special Forces Training Grounds, Thundias**

**William**

"Good job Sparky!" I praised the Varren after finishing off the remaining two snipers. "I guarantee you surprised everyone watching."

A happy bark was heard as he trotted over and pushed his head against my hand. I quickly started to pet him, scratching behind his ear as he leaned into it.

"Alright boy. Let's get moving to the extraction zone." Sparky barked in in reply as the two of us made our way down the building. As we exited the building, my Omni-tool beeped as a message from Riley appeared. She was wanting an update. I grinned as I opened a comm. link to her.

"Will? Those snipers taken care of?"

"I'm sorry, all lines are currently unavailable."

* * *

**Alliance Special Forces Training Grounds Hangar #3, Thundias**

**William**

"CASS! HELP! MY TEAM IS TRYING TO KILL ME!"

"GET BACK HERE AND FACE YOUR DEATH LIKE A MAN!" Riley roared from the shuttle. "WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO STRING ME ON LIKE THAT?"

"Will…" Cassandra muttered, her eyes hidden by shadows from her hair.

"In my defense, it wasn't that bad of a joke." I defended myself. "Old as hell, sure, but still funny!"

"YOU PUT ME ON HOLD FOR HALF AN HOUR WITH SHITTY MUSIC!"

"Will…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's not my fault that you have no taste in proper music!"

"GET OVER HERE!" Riley roared, finally breaking free of the grip her teammates had held her in. "I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR DAMN SPINE OUT AND BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH IT!"

"Cass please save me." I whimpered, hiding behind her. Sure, say what you want about hiding behind a girl, but damn it she hits harder than Yang! It's a perfect defense!

"Will…" Cassandra muttered, turning to face me while finally letting me see her eyes, along with the tears threatening to burst out. "Why are you replacing me?"

Everyone in the room, even Riley, got a MAJOR red flag warning pop up in their heads. Riley, knowing a bomb when she sees one, immediately halted her campaign against me and took off in a dead sprint, along with everyone else in the hangar besides me and Cassandra. Damn traitors.

"Hey, what are you talking about?" I replied as soothingly as I could, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm not replacing you with anyone. Why would you think that?"

"Because you are!" she sobbed, wrapping her arms around me in a desperate, but pointless, attempt to keep me from leaving. "You're replacing me with that Varren!"

"Ok, first off, not my thing. No way in hell do I want scale itch." I said as I started to stroke her hair, something I had learned from her mother that helped calm her down as a child. "And secondly, no one can replace you. I told you before you're a one of a kind girl Cass."

"The hell's going on in here?" Yang's voice echoed through the empty hangar. "Why the hell did your team run out yelling about a bomb… ohhh."

"Yang, can you help me? I have no clue why she thinks I'm trying to replace her." I pleaded as Cassandra only tightened her grip on me. "Please hurry, I'm having trouble breathing now."

"Hey, not my fault you're not suppressing that shit." Yang said with her hands up. "Leave me out of it."

"Suppressing what?" I half asked, half begged. "I have no idea what I'm doing that needs to be suppressed!"

"Wait, you don't know?" Yang blinked in surprise. "Shit, no wonder I was confused. I thought you were just a playboy."

"Will you please hurry up and tell me? I'm starting to get light headed."

"Yeah, yeah, hold on." Yang sighed. "Cassandra, I'm ordering you to head to the med bay. Full examination."

I watched as Cassandra turned her 'tight' hug into a death vice for a split second before running off towards the med bay, tears flowing down her face as clear as day. When I tried to follow her, Yang blocked my path and shook her head.

"Right now she needs to be away from you until you learn to control what's affecting her." She said, putting her hands on my shoulders. "I know you want to help her, but being away from her IS helping her."

"Yang, what the hell's going on?"

Yang just stood there for a few minutes before muttering "follow me."

* * *

**Alliance Special Forces Biotics Center, Thundias**

The Alliance Special Forces biotics center was the best place for biotics in the military to train and learn. After the utter failure that BAaT (The place Kaidan received his childhood biotic training) was, the Alliance did something no human government had done before and actually learned from their mistake. They started a campaign to help all biotics learn to control their powers, and created two places where they could do just that: Grissom academy and the Biotics Center here on Thundias.

Grissom academy had quickly become the go-to location for parents to send their children and was the leading (human) public training facility for biotics of all ages. For military personnel, however, the preferred choice was obvious. The Biotics Center here provided a much larger range of equipment and specialists than Grissom academy could ever hope to have.

In a rare show of humility, the Alliance contacted all council races capable of using biotics and asked for specialists to come teach at their military facility. Many Asari, and more than a few Turians and Salarians, answered the call alongside some of the 'lesser' council races. The result was the best biotic training facility in the galaxy, which was quickly opened to all races after the Asari threatened to remove their specialists if they couldn't train there as well.

"Ok… why are we at the biotics center? What the hell does this place have to do with the way Cass was acting back there?"

"William." Damn it, first names. This is serious. "Answer my questions truthfully. Have other women ever hit on you?"

"What timeframe are we talking here?" I asked. "Because as a kid, fucking never."

Yang let out a small snort of laughter, despite the seriousness of the situation. "No, not back then. Since you've gotten your biotics."

"So, basically when I joined the military." I summed up, getting a surprised look from Yang. "Yeah, ever since I enlisted girls have started hitting on me. I just thought I looked good in Alliance fatigues."

"You only discovered your biotics after joining the military?"

"Yeah, but you should know that. I told you everything, remember?" Yang just continued to look confused. "Remember? After our little sparing incident that got interrupted by Blake and our hooded friends?"

Finally, Yang's eyes opened in realization before she let out a sigh. "Damn, that explains a lot. Ok, so, how many of those women that hit on you were Asari?"

"Um, a lot." I answered, not sure where she was going with this. "Probably most of them, though there were a couple of guys who were interested as well if that matters."

"No, it doesn't." She laughed. "Instead, focus on the Asari. What do you and they share in common?"

"Great taste in women? After hitting on me they usually hit on Cass."

"In relation to where we are now." She sighed.

"Ummm, biotics?"

"Yes! Biotics." She said, her voice flooding with relief. "It's well known that the Asari, a race of pure biotics, admire strength. Not physical strength, though I don't doubt they enjoy that too, they admire biotic strength."

"So, what, my biotics are causing all these girls to hit on me?" I asked. "That sounds stupid."

"If you had grown up and attended an actual biotic school, you would have learned that biotics can, to some degree, sense on another. Stronger biotics are easier to sense than weaker ones for obvious reasons." Yang explained. "However, it's that ability to sense biotics that's the problem here."

"All biotics are able to constantly ping each other's biotics in a search for strength and compatibility. Think of it like a computer pinging for a connection on a network. When the computer finds a strong signal and can connect with it, it starts sending information."

"I'm so lost here." I groaned. "Not on the analogy, I get that part. I'm lost on why this matters."

"Because this pinging can be controlled, and it's basically become a way for biotics to hook up with each other." Yang informed me. "It's really popular among the Asari, but there's more to it than that. If you happen to get into a relationship with someone, that constant pinging starts to affect the person. Basically, it's like saying you love your wife while posting ads saying you're looking for a girlfriend."

"But if that's all true, why can't I sense your biotics? Or anyone's for that matter?" I asked. "And why aren't you affected by it?"

"Like me, we come from different places." She stated. I understood her double meaning and nodded as she continued. "I think it's because of that we can't feel other biotics, and explains why I can't be affected by you."

"But if you can't feel my biotics, how did you kno-" I started to ask before I suddenly felt like I was being poked by a thousand needles all at once. "Is that… are you pinging me?"

"Yup. Looks like we both can't sense biotics, but can feel each other's pings." She smirked. "What's mine feel like?"

"It's like when your foot falls asleep and gets that needle like sensation, but all over my body." I said. "But it isn't annoying, more… I don't know, questioning? Curious? What's mine feel like?"

"Like I'm inside a high-pressure area, but it's warm and inviting instead of crushing." She answered. "And that's you doing it subconsciously. If you actively pinged a specific person, like I did to you, it's more intense. Certainly makes sense why Asari fawn all over you."

"So Cassandra was just feeling insecure?"

"No, this is where that connection comes into play. It's a lot like a drug in the feeling it gives off. Basically, Cassandra's addicted to being around you, and when she saw how close you and Sparky had gotten, she was worried you might cut her off."

"So you sent her to rehab because she was addicted to a connection to my biotics?"

"That's a horrifyingly dumbed down version that doesn't even begin to do the reality of it justice, but yeah." Yang let out a long sigh. "This feels like telling a kid about the birds and the bees."

"Sorry, not my fault that the reason people call me 'skydiver' is the same reason I ended up with biotics." I chuckled.

"Skydiver?" my chuckle quickly changed into a groan.

"I'm the damn idiot who when skydiving, hit his head, and landed in a live minefield." I informed her. "Really surprised didn't put that together after our conversation back when we met."

Yang didn't respond, simply because she didn't hear me finish over her laughter. It took an annoying ten minutes for her to just START to calm down, and another five for her to finally be able to form words.

"Haha, yeah, very funny… can we please figure out how I can stop sending out a mass 'I'm single' signal?" I huffed. "Because as much as I enjoy being hit on by girls, the last thing I want is a girlfriend who's clinically addicted to being near me."

"Eh-he, oh, wow that's a real killjoy." Yang said, taking a deep breath to finally get herself under control. "It's just like any other biotic technique you learn. Understand the concept, practice, and apply it in reality."

"So, what, I'm going to be training here until I get this under control? Kind of seems like a bad idea." A small grin spread across my face. "After all, this does only affect biotics, and there's a LOT of Asari here."

"It's a lot simpler than that Will." She scolded me as I was lead through a surprisingly thick door. "Yeah, you'll affect everyone else here, but not me. This room is designed to contain any and all biotic abilities, so were staying in here until you get that under control."

I took a quick glance around the room, basically an oversized living room with three doors I assumed lead to bedrooms and/or bathrooms. There was a large area for biotic training, a kitchen, and a relaxation area, all with shield emitters surrounding them.

"Shield emitters?"

"Helps contain any mistakes. We won't need them, since this isn't an attack."

"Don't you have duties you need to take care of?" I asked. "You are a General after all."

"There's a small office I can use." Well, that explains the third door. Wait, does that mean… "Bad news is were bunking together."

"Damn it. When we get out of here, you're explaining this to Cass." I grumbled. "Never going to live to see thirty."

* * *

Three weeks have passed. Three horribly confusing, long, exhausting, and stressful weeks. Weeks filled with intense training, emotional turmoil, and a shit load of awkward conversations.

Ok, so it wasn't that bad. I did train, but it wasn't intense like working on actual biotic attacks is. More focused on 'discovering myself' so I could stop making people want to jump me. The emotional turmoil was mostly from Yang, who insisted on watching horrible soap operas during our down time.

There were plenty of awkward conversations though. The room was completely sealed and cut off from the outside world, save for a terminal in the office, an intercom by the front door, and medical sensors throughout the rooms to make sure no one suddenly started dying, so Yang and I took turns on the terminal.

Problem was, whenever I got on I was bombarded by messages from Cass. They ranged anywhere from 'I don't blame you for this, it's my fault' to 'why are you leaving me for Yang' and the strangest being 'I don't mind sharing.' No explanation, no face to face talking, just short messages. Then after the first week they stopped showing up, most likely due to her coming to her senses and stopping out of embarrassment.

Yang didn't help either. Sure, we were military and were used to seeing people in various stages of undress, but with the whole 'you make biotics want you just by living' thing going on and Yang's… assets, it was very quickly an awkward few minutes before bed. Her constant teasing didn't help either.

Thankfully I had made lots of progress during those three weeks. After realizing how hard I was failing at shutting the ability down, Yang instead instructed me on how to focus it. It felt a bit like tunnel vision when I focused it on Yang, but according to her that 'warm and inviting high-pressure' feeling changed into a 'demanding, get out of those clothes' feeling.

"Damn her and her teasing." I muttered for probably the thousandth time since entering this awful place. "Though I might need to rethink my whole 'one and done' outlook if I can't control this curse-slash-blessing."

After figuring out how to focus it on individuals, I was technically allowed to leave the room. There were rules of course, the main one being any time I left I had to focus this ability solely on Yang since she could resist it. I figured I wouldn't push my luck and decided to stay in containment.

I've also made quite a bit of progress on turning the damn thing off, though to my dismay it was whenever I was sleeping. Yang tended to stay up late and work on the terminal while I slept and, on more than one occasion, woke me up to tell me I had turned it off. It turned back on the instant I woke back up, but just knowing it could be done was more than enough for me to keep trying.

And it looks like today was the day things started going my way again.

"HEY YANG!" I called out to her from the training matts

"YEAH?" she replied from the office.

"WHAT'YA FEEL RIGHT NOW?"

"NOTHING. WHY?"

I'll just let that sink in for a minute.

"HOLY SHIT I DON'T FEEL IT ANYMORE!" Yang yelled after sprinting out into the main room.

"Oww, my ears." I griped. "Yang, please turn the volume down from eleven to about two… make that three since I can't hear myself now. Damned acoustics."

"Damn it, its back."

"Of course its back, I just lost some of my hearing!" I teased. "Jeez, I was concentrating to do that you know. It wasn't easy."

"Hehe, my bad." Yang chuckled, looking completely unrepentant. "Still, you figured out how to turn it off!"

"Not subconsciously, but that'll come with time." I said with healthy dose of pride. "I don't want to leave until I have better control over it though. Wouldn't do any good to suppress it only for it to pop back up when someone yells."

"Yeah. Still, progress is progress." She nodded in agreement before her eyes took up a mischievous glint. "Unless you just want to spend more time alone with me. I've seen your eyes linger a bit longer than they should when I'm changing."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I said as plainly as I could. "Besides, I have a girlfriend. Why would I look at other girls?"

"Because who knows where your relationship will be after this incident." Yang continued to tease. "And besides, did you two really ever commit to a relationship?"

'Shit, did we?' I thought to myself. 'I don't think either of us have ever said were fully committed. Hell, I've met most of her family, but I can't say I'm in a real relationship with her.'

"Damn it, there I go again." Yang sighed in frustration as she sat down next to me. "You know I'm just messing with you, but I know I hit a sensitive subject there. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's not as bad as you think." I reassured her. "It's just… I have no clue how this will affect us. We've always promised each other that if our relationship got in the way of our serving, we'd break it up with no hard feelings. This whole fiasco fits the bill for a breakup perfectly."

"So you think things will be over between the two of you?"

"I don't know, and that kind of scares me. I've never been good at relationships. Hell, before Cass, I'd never been in one."

"You've never been in a relationship before her?!" Yang almost shouted. "What kind of demon women did you grow up with?"

"They weren't assholes about it Yang. There was just always someone else. Someone better looking, someone smarter, that sort of stuff." I chuckled. "Only reason I'm here is because I played a single video game way too much. You should have seen me before I joined the Alliance. I looked nothing like the handsome devil that's before you now."

"Well, that makes some sense." Yang playfully punched my shoulder, nowhere near as hard as Cass did thankfully. "And from what Death told you, it was your love of games that kept you from looking like you do now. But for no one to give you a chance? That just makes me angry."

"Pfft. No offence Yang, but you're the exact type of person who'd do that to me. Just how many broken hears have you left in your wake?"

"Hardly any." Came her quiet reply. "And I regret those I did leave."

'Well there goes the mood.' I mentally sighed.

"I don't know how I was viewed in your world, but I've always had to distance myself from everyone. Only my family was able to get close to me." She continued after a moment's silence.

"What, emotionally? Mentally?"

"All of the above, plus one." She paused, as if unsure she wanted to continue. I gently rested my hand on her shoulder and gave a small squeeze before she continued. "Few people could ever stand being physically near me. My semblance, or what it was, burns off excess energy. Because of that, I was often too hot to touch. Even my parents had a hard time being near me before I managed to temper it."

"But you did temper it, right?"

"Sort of. It works through my emotions. Any single strong emotion, things like hatred, anger, determination, excitement, and even love would cause flare ups. Stress was the worst. My dad had countless burn marks on his body from helping me with my homework. Ruby… was different."

"Never once did she get burned by me. She grew up being warned by dad and I that the risk was there, but that didn't stop her from constantly hugging me after I understood a math problem, helping me up when I struggled through training, even during our sparing sessions at Beacon she didn't feel any pain from the heat."

"She was the only one though. When I helped Blake with her obsession with Torchwick and the White Fang, things got… heated. I went to push her, to show how tired she really was, but when my hand connected, it left a light burn. There were times I'd get up in Weiss' face during an argument where she'd quickly back up in pain."

"Because of it, I hardly ever had a chance to date people. My reputation for my 'flaming emotions' steered far too many guys I liked away, and the ones that didn't run I turned down, not because I didn't like them, but because I didn't want them to get hurt."

"But now people here see your flames, and don't even want to try?" It was phrased as a question, but I had said it like a statement.

"Yeah."

"Well, your position doesn't exactly help either." I teased. "Not a lot of people would willingly date the woman who's in charge of the N7's. And I assume being a General takes up a lot of free time."

"You have no idea." She chuckled lightly. "There were even a few times I'd managed to get a guy interested, only for them to have some SERIOUS trauma from past relationships."

"Do I even want to know those stories?"

"Only if you want to hear the tale of how I got a guy to beg me not, and I quote, 'drain his balls till he calls for mommy' after telling him I was with the Alliance."

"Yeah, I'll pass. Unless you want to hear about my experience at the Sha'thai."

"Good lord, how can you even joke about that?" yang recoiled in fear. That bar had the biggest reputation for breaking even the strongest, most disciplined Turians. No one except the workers could enter the place without getting permanent or near-permanent mental scarring.

Cass and I had went in on a dare. We both quickly agreed to never speak of the horrors that went on in that building, ever. It was a place I would never wish upon my worst enemies, and that was with the knowledge of the future here.

"The only upside to that hell-hole is that the bartender made one mean mai-tai." I said with a slight shiver.

"You're an ass for bringing that place up." She glared as a punch landed on my shoulder, before her expression softened considerably. "But you're good at getting my mind off things. So… Thanks. For listening."

"Hey, were the only ones who know the truth. We've gota stick together."

"What about Blake?"

"I don't think anything can save us when people look to a cat for advice on saving the galaxy." I laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I love Blake, no not that way, but her appearance ruins most of her credibility."

We spent the next half hour teasing each other and making fun of our friends, all just to cheer the other up. Yang ended up breaking out some liquor and the half an hour turned into three, with the two of us only lightly buzzed.

"Gah, I hate drinking. It's expensive as hell at the bar drinking light shit, and the potent stuff tastes awful."

"Yang, you do realize it takes more for a biotic to get properly drunk than normal people?" I said with a laugh. "Though, normally, the hangover is twice as worse."

"Don't remind me." She groaned. "And what do you mean by normally?"

"Got myself an overclocked amp. You know how much I eat?"

"Almost twice as much as a normal biotic." She muttered. Paying for my rations anywhere other than here was likely a nightmare.

"Yup. Blame the amp. One of the perks is no hangovers. There's about as many upsides as there are downsides."

"Lucky bastard." Grumbled Yang, who stole a glance at the one clock in the room. "Shit, its midnight."

"So?"

"So that means we have one more week before we need to get the hell out of here." She sighed. "It's taken you three times longer than it should have to learn to suppress yourself. Think you can manage in a week?"

"First off, the norm is set for kids, who naturally learn faster than adults, so that's not fair. As for managing in a week, I think I'm well on my way."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Took a bit to put it back up while you were talking, but I'm managing."

Yang clearly looked surprised at not noticing that overwhelming pressure's absence. "Shit, I didn't notice. Any troubles?"

"Takes a bit of focus. Defiantly can't vouch for it in combat, but as for normal every day stuff, I'd say I'd be ready in a couple days. Death's benefits included."

"That's such bullshit. He can help you become a biotic god, but won't help me be able to do anything other than the basics."

"Well, you ARE classified as a level six. Even I'm not there yet."

"That's because it looks like I set shit on fire!"

"Oh, yes, because the intimidation factor of seemingly setting people on fire with your _MIND_ is clearly a _DISADVANTAGE._"

"Humpf. It's not that great."

"Oh, that's bullshit! I'd take complete advantage of that!" I made my voice, a decently deep voice to begin with, much deeper. "BEGONE FOOL, LEST YOU WISH TO ENDURE MY FIERY TEMPER AS WELL!"

"Well that was creepy as hell."

"Tell that to my old youth pastor. He encouraged it just to have someone to sing baritone."

"Still creepy."

"Well, I think I'm too tired to continue this discussion." I said, standing up from my seat.

"Yeah, I'm getting tired too."

As I walked past her, Yang grabbed my hand. It was only as I was falling asleep that fully realized what it meant by our actions. No words passed between us as I turned and hauled her up, literally carrying her to her bed. She stirred only slightly when I laid her down before quickly cuddling with the pillow as soon as it was in reach.

We were able to understand each other's mannerisms to the point words were unnecessary. I simply knew she was too tired to make it to bed, and she knew she simply needed to grab me to get me to carry her.

"Huh, guess all our little chats are good for something." I smirked as I sprawled onto my bed. "Then again, not even in my wildest dreams did I think I'd end up where I am now."

I remained awake for who knows how long, an hour? Two? I kept fading back and forth between being conscious and lightly lucid before I finally started to fully fall asleep. It was for that reason that I was unsure if what happened really did happen, or if I had just imagined it.

Honestly, I slightly favored the idea I imagined it, if only because it made sense. Whenever I ended up between the realms of dreams and reality, my mind liked to mix the two together and see what it could come up with, and it was fairly good at its job.

But that night it left me wondering. After all, it's not every night when your commanding officer kisses you in your sleep.

* * *

**Well that's a wrap for this chapter! I also have another two Codex entries, since traditional biotics have been all but thrown out the damn airlock. It was probably some grumpy Prothean who just woke up from a nice, long cryo-nap. So yea, here you go!**

* * *

**CODEX**

**_BIOTICS_**

Ever since the quiet shutdown of the BAaT (Biotic Acclimation and Temperance) training facility on the Alliance's 'Jump Zero' station, the alliance has dedicated funding to two locations for the advancement of human biotics.

The first was a multi-role research facility and school for exceptional children called Grissom Academy, named after the famous Jon Grissom, the first man to ever travel beyond the Sol system via Mass Relay. Their official mission statement is to "serve a student population demonstrating excellence and passion for math, science, and the liberal arts." The station is estimated to be finished sometime in 2176, largely due to the sudden addition of the Ascension Project, the Alliance's civilian biotic program.

The second is the SFBC (Special Forces Biotics Center) on Thundias. Its role is to train any soldier with biotic potential to their full capabilities. Unlike BAaT, where the alliance discreetly hired several Turian mercenaries, the SFBC openly welcomed all races to come and teach, offering generous pay for day to day work with substantial bonuses available should someone need more specialized training. Due to threats of recalling their teachers, all races with at least one teacher of their race are allowed the full use of their facilities.

One of the few remnants of BAaT, and the last 'gift' to humanity of Commander Vyrnnus before his death, is the BRS (Biotic Ranking System). Separated into six different levels, each rank generalizes a person's individual biotic abilities, one being the lowest and six being the highest. From there, their scores are averaged out to receive their overall ranking.

The system is not perfect, as an individual with a rank of five in his/her Barriers, but a two in their Warp, Throw, and Lift would average out to a high two for their overall rank. To get around this, squad leaders and unit commanders often ask for specific rankings rather than the general ranking to make better use of each person's abilities. Additionally, in the three cases it has occurred in, anyone who manages to reach rank six in any ability automatically gets their general rank pushed up to a six, and are given a special insignia to wear on their armor.

Contrary to what most civilians believe, biotics are able learn more than one version of an ability. For example; a biotic who reaches level five would be at a severe disadvantage if they learned how to use a dome barrier that replaced their personal one. To solve this issue, instead of using the same hand gestures, they would change one or two motions. Another example: making a fist to make a normal barrier, but keeping your pinky finger extended to make a dome barrier.

There are also biotics that created their own unique traits at level five. The most notable in that group being one William May, who managed to can create a stable warp around his hands. Due to the use of this ability, it is currently up for debate on whether or not the ranking will change from a five to a six.

* * *

**_BIOTIC RANKING SYSTEM_**

The BRS (Biotic Ranking System) was devised by Commander Vyrnnus, a biotic Turian mercenary hired by the Alliance to assist with the BAaT Program.

Level one is discovering how to use a specific biotic ability. It's the simplest level, but also one of the most dangerous due to the high chances of injury for misusing an ability.

Level two is achieved when an individual manages to use the biotic ability reliably and without the injury of any bystanders or supervisory staff members. This is the shortest level most biotics stay on.

Levels three and four are for alterations. This includes, but is not limited to: reduced cooldown times, DoT (Damage over Time), exponential increases in damage, and duration time. The only difference between level three and four is just a matter of strength, and is where most biotics end up plateauing.

Level five is where the more exotic, high-end changes take place. Changes such as being able to launch two throws instead of one, having a near instant cooldown time on a warp, and other changes that tended to make a biotics abilities stand out. One of the most common level five attributes for barriers is the dome barrier.

Level six is for those who've made their biotics reach a level that is all but unobtainable. This is mostly reserved for classifying powerful Asari, but three humans have managed to reach that level. Two have declared their desire to have their identities hidden, but the third, and most recent, did not. General Yang W. Rose achieved the ranking due to the intimidation factor from how her biotics affect her and those who are hit by her abilities, the appearance of being set on fire. (It should be noted that some have reported feeling actual heat radiating from her biotics)


	9. Biotic sex magnet Pt2

**Here it is folks, the official chapter 8 (not counting the announcement as a chapter).**

**Trying something new out this time. Everything that's normally up here; the review replies, the little updates, ext., they'll all be down at the bottom. So, let's get to it!**

**Chapter 8**

**Biotic Sex Magnet Pt2**

* * *

**ALLIANCE MISSION BREFING ROOM #118, THUNDIAS**

**July 9th****th****, 2173**

A meeting. Mid-day. When basically every soldier was out training, we were having a meeting. It only meant one thing.

Someone left the Rangers.

This sort of thing had happened before, back during the whole initiation phase. Whenever someone dropped out or was kicked out, Yang made sure it wasn't a shameful event. There wasn't a reason to give the other service branches that the former Ranger might enter a reason to hate us after all. There was still hazing, that was a part of any military dropout situation, but in all of humanities brief existence, there likely wasn't a dropout situation that was more supportive than this.

That was, if the dropout wanted to attend. Quite a few chose not to, mostly from embarrassment and self-shame, but one person had written a letter that Yang read aloud, saying that they didn't feel worthy to be in the presence of legends in the making. The ones who did attend, however, often got emotional.

People make friends quickly in the military. You have to. If you don't trust someone to watch your back, then you're wasting time worrying about it and not focusing on the job at hand, something that has gotten countless soldiers killed. These friends are like family, and when someone was dropped or left voluntarily, it was like losing a part of yourself.

"You all know why we're here." Yang spoke from behind a podium. We were in a briefing room; just chairs, the podium, and a screen that was normally used to show footage or pictures of the soldier's upcoming mission. "Another Ranger has left us."

It was the day after Yang and I had gotten out of the 'hot box' as the rest of the Rangers has started calling it. We were all given the day off, mostly so Yang could get a proper grip of what had happened during her absence. There was only so much you could do from a terminal.

I had spent the day at the biotics center, though I was happy to be free from the training room. There was a lot of gear I was use to using in my biotic workouts that I hadn't had access to in the room, and I wanted to get back to my normal routine. Night quickly came and I flopped onto my bed, only idly wondering how Cass had spent her day before sleep took me.

And now I was here.

"However, this is a special case." She announced, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "As most of you know, Cassandra Shepard has left our presence, but it was not her choice, nor ours."

My stomach quickly knotted up, but I stayed silent.

"Instead of her being removed from training, she has been pushed forward due to medical reasons, which I've been asked to keep quiet about. She is still a Ranger, a member of our family, but is now on live fire missions, something you all will be doing in a few months."

"Mam, why is she being advanced?" a Ranger asked, pretty sure it was Lockley, but it might have been Stark by the way his voice wavered slightly.

"As I said, it was a medical condition that I won't name at her own request, but it has not hindered her physically or mentally. Due to this, and her top scores, I felt it was fair to advance her as a way of helping her recover." Yang answered. "Some of you may end up working alongside her during your own live fire missions. I only ask that you be respectful and don't ask why she left."

"Thank you mam." Ok, that was Stark. Good to know.

"Since Cassandra has not left the Rangers, and is not here to answer questions, you are all dismissed, save William." Yang looked me in the eyes. "I need a few minutes with you."

"Got it blondie." I half murmured. My gut was causing me no small amount of pain, but I was all too use to it. 'Fucking nerves. I thought being a soldier would help me learn to control this.'

Everyone else was filing out of the room while I remained seated. Riley gave me a sympathetic look before she left, and I returned it with a small smile that never reached my eyes. Finally, the door shut.

"Damn I hate this job sometimes." Yang sighed as she collapsed into her seat. "Sorry I didn't tell you this sooner. She asked me to keep it from you until the service."

"How long has she been gone?"

"Since you stopped getting messages from her." She said. "About two weeks now. Kinda glad you spent your day off yesterday in the biotics center. You'd have probably stormed into my office pissed as hell from all the apologies you'd be getting."

I just leaned back in my chair, my head hitting the top of the back of the chair. "Is it what I think it is?"

"Yup." She nodded. "The damn biotic attraction you didn't know about. Doctors said all she needs is time away from you. About two or three months' worth. Right around the time I planned for you all to start taking missions."

"Well, guess I'm single now." I said with a humorless laugh. "All well. She and I made a promise to each other. Better keep it."

"She's waiting for you. Comm room seven." Yang said as she stood up. "Take all the time you need. Training starts back up tomorrow."

A soft "Thanks" was all I could manage as she left the room. I stayed seated for a good ten minutes after she left, quietly thinking about nothing.

I don't remember when I started doing it, but I'd guess around age ten or eleven. I'd lay in bed on nights where I wasn't tired and just thought of nothing, which for a ten year old, is stupid hard. It took weeks before I actually managed to quiet down my brains attempts to fill my thoughts, but I did manage it.

Now here I was, ten years and a new dimension later, thinking nothing. It was calming. Not hearing my inner doubts, no thinking about what I was going to say, not _worrying_. Then it was ruined, not by interruption, but by a single thought that breached my head.

'If I were an A.I. I'd probably be dead right now.'

"I'm starting to think I'm not normal." I muttered as I stood, my gut having eased considerably. "Oh, wait, I've already died once. That might explain a bit." Having calmed my nerves, I started a brisk walk to my vid-call with my now ex-girlfriend.

That left a bitter taste in my mouth, no matter how I tried thinking about it.

* * *

'Comm room seven.' I thought as I reached the door. 'God I wish this shit didn't happen to me.'

The door opened and I took a seat at the lone terminal station in the room. These rooms were used for the personal or private calls that people don't want to be overheard. The Alliance still monitored these calls, but it was only for people speaking in code or for people trying to leak classified data. It was monitored by a V.I., which was also monitored by a V.I., so there wasn't a risk of some Alliance officer blackmailing someone. A quick few keystrokes to put in my password, and I was logged in and immediately connecting to a waiting caller.

And just like that, Cass' red hair and yellow eyes filled the screen.

"Hey." She said. 'Just hey? Eh, better not worry about it. She's probably kicking herself over that already.'

"Hay is for horses." I joked, and to my relief, broke the tension as Cass chuckled at the dumb joke.

"You have no idea how badly I needed that." She smiled, an honest one that lit her eyes up like a light show.

"And I didn't realize how badly I needed this." I admitted, smiling back. All my nervousness was gone. "I can't tell you how many times I worried about how you'd act after I got out of that training room."

"You worried about me? Come on Will, you know me better than that." I knew that if she were here, she'd probably give me a playful shove. "And I know you never intended for this to happen. I don't hold any of it against you, so stop your worrying damn it."

This time it was my turn to chuckle. "Heh, yes mam. Still, I'm glad."

Cassandra's smile dimmed a bit. "Honestly, I'm more worried about you. I'm sorry I had Blondie keep my leaving from you."

"Cass, I was never worried about that. I understand completely. You NEED to be away from me for your own health." I sighed. "I was just worried you'd end up hating me because I'd somehow made you lose control of yourself or something."

"Well, you kind of did… I was going crazy about you, and not in a good way. Obsessing over you, jealous to the point of anger. I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it if you _ordered_ me to do something." She paused. "It… was probably the most frightening thing I've ever experienced."

"Cass…" I tried apologizing before she interrupted.

"Save it Will. I told you I knew you never intended for that to happen." Her smile returned in full force. "And never once did you make me do anything. Instead, you played the perfect gentleman, erring on the side of caution. Despite how terrified I was, I knew you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I felt scared, but safe."

"And you're ok now?"

"Well, the doctors say if I stayed near you and you accidentally dropped that mental block you made, I'd slip right back to where I was. But it's only if it's you who does it. I can't tell you how many biotics have tried hitting on me since I left. And no, this doesn't mean I can't be around you permanently." She assured me. "After the two to three months are up, I'm sooo putting in a transfer request to come and see you."

"But until then…" I trailed off.

"Yeah. We made a promise."

"And we keep our promises."

That was it. Until we got to see each other in person again, we were no longer a couple. It hurt a lot more than I hoped, but less than I expected.

"I still love you though." she softly whispered. "The doctors say I might still have lingering symptoms, but I know I still love you."

"I love you too Cass." I said in return before my smile grew a bit wicked. "Though, you might have come competition."

"Oh? Moving on already?" she asked, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"No, not at all, but someone's already displayed interest." I continued teasing. "Someone you know."

"I swear, if it's Beth I'm punching your teeth in." I looked at her in shock. "What? She's a bitch! Why would you ever want to be with her?"

"I'm horrified you'd even suggest her!" I exclaimed. "No, damn it now that's stuck in my head. No its Yang."

"Blondie? But she's our CO!"

"I KNOW! Doesn't change the fact that I think she kissed me in my sleep two nights ago!"

"SHE WHAT!"

"Whoa, calm down." I said, instinctively raising my hands to shield myself. "I was basically asleep, so I don't know if she actually did it."

Cassandra just sat there in silence for a minute, looking angry, before growing frustration demanded she speak again. "Damn it, I can't even be mad at her!"

"Wait what?" I stammered. "Did I just hear that right?"

"She's a really lonely girl."

"How do you know that?!"

"Because she lives alone with a cat!"

They say the sound of my head hitting the desk was heard throughout the building.

"Please tell me that's not the only reason you think that." I begged.

"Of course not! I just wanted to see your reaction!" She answered between fits of laughter. "You are WAY too predictable Will!"

"Remind me again why I've put up with you?"

"My ass."

"Fair point." I admitted. "So what other evidence do you have?"

"My tits."

"Again, fair point, but not what I was asking."

"Ohh. My bad." She apologized, her face now heavily flushed. "Well, she doesn't have any pictures."

"Pictures?"

"Yeah. In both of her offices, she doesn't have any family photos. Nothing on her desk, no pictures of friends, it's just her and her cat."

"That's… how did I not notice that?"

"Because I'm a girl. I notice things like that." She said proudly.

"Oh, sure. You'll notice that, but you failed to notice that dancer spiking your drink at the Sha-

"WE SAID WE'D NEVER SPEAK OF THAT AGAIN!"

"And that time Jayce and Johnson were trying to get you to sleep with Lilly. And when Markov did that thing with his thumb and his-"

"I GET IT ALREADY!"

"Good. Because that one almost topped the first." I shuddered, desperately shoving those memories back into the pits of my subconscious. How the hell Markov did those things, with just his thumb no less, haunted the dream of everyone who saw it for months.

"Asshole." She muttered. "Anyway, I don't know why I noticed it. I just did. No family photos, no pictures of friends, hell, she doesn't even have pictures of her cat!"

"Can we drop the whole cat thing?"

"Fine, but other than her feline friend, I think she only has you."

"The hell are you talking about now?"

Cass started explaining. "She's a career soldier, that much is obvious, but she grew up in a time where human biotics were feared and treated as freaks, even among Alliance personnel. Plus the fact that her public file says she just popped up out of nowhere, and her biotics look like she's on fire, she can't have many friends."

"In fact, I think you're her only one." She continued. "She pushes you the hardest, and I've seen the way you two act together. Right when one of you is thirsty, the other hands over a water bottle. It's exactly like what we have… or I guess had now that I'm being deployed. You don't need to speak, you just know what the other needs."

"Still doesn't mean she's into me." I countered.

"True, but if there was anyone I'd want to replace me, it'd be her."

"You can't be serious."

"Why not? I'm stupid jealous of her body! Hell, all the girls are! And don't you dare tell me you haven't looked at her that way!"

"I will because I haven't! I was usually too busy looking at you."

Queue intense blush. Her cheeks were about as red as her hair.

"Flatterer."

"I do try."

"Damn it stop making this harder for me!"

"Are you… telling me you don't want to hook back up?"

"What? God no! That's not what I'm trying to say at all Will!" she paused, trying to find the right words to say. "I told you I love you. I'll always love you. Even if we both end up with other people, you'll always hold a place in my heart."

"But I want you to be sure I'm what you want. I'll probably regret this at some point in my life, but I want you to flirt with other women. Get to know them, love them, and do what you want. I want you to love me because you _want_ to love me, not because you feel you _have_ to."

"Cass."

"Because I'll be doing the same thing. Its more doctor ordered than what I _want_ to do, but I have to do it. For the next two to three months I have to try and find someone else to love, so the doctors can be sure there aren't any lingering side effects."

"Alright."

"Will?"

"I don't like it. Hell, I hate it, but alright. But, just like you said to me, I'll always have a place in my heart for you. And I swear, if whoever you end up with breaks your heart, well, even the Terminus systems won't be safe from my wrath." I looked up to see tears in her eyes, and the biggest smile I'd ever seen on her face. Our eyes met as I finished. "Because no one messes with _my_ girl and lives to tell the tale."

"That's so sweet." She murmured as she whipped away her tears. "And incredibly cheesy."

"There you go ruining a perfectly romantic moment." I sighed with a smile on my face. "Isn't that supposed to be my job?"

"Please don't. We'd never have another moment for the rest of our lives." She laughed.

* * *

We spent five hours talking to each other that day. Involving some of the most random topics we'd ever discussed and hours of laughter. Cassandra, at one point, made a comment that she'd have a six pack if I kept making her laugh as hard as she was.

Unfortunately, it was all a fake. Well, not completely since we were having a lot of fun, but we both knew we were using it as a way to ease the feeling of loss we shared.

About halfway through, Sparky came trotting in. I was surprised he was still hanging around, since I essentially ditched him and locked myself away for a month. When he saw who I was talking with, he got close to the camera and whimpered.

Turns out that Cass had taken care of him for the first week I was gone, and the initial jealousy caused by my biotics quickly faded and allowed the two to really bond. I think it really helped that Sparky could probably smell my sent on her, and had basically stood guard over her in my absence, no matter how often she yelled or threw things at him while she came off her biotic induced 'high.'

After Cass left, Sparky was taken care of by the remaining Rangers, essentially becoming the group mascot. Everyone took turns taking care of him and, in one notable incident, tried to bathe him. That ended with several chewed-up water hoses, multiple broken buckets, and several Alliance officers were trying to find the cause of a large hole that suddenly appeared around the time of Sparky's bath.

Upon learning this I just chuckled and, while scratching Sparky's back, muttered "Sparky McBoomboom."

Meanwhile, the brown-green Varren had played innocent perfectly. Too perfectly.

"Well, it's getting late." Sighed Cassandra. We both didn't want to end the call, that was blatantly obvious, but we knew we had to.

"Yeah… God this sucks."

"At least you're not being ordered by doctors to hit on guys. I swear have of them give me the creeps."

"Yeah? I gota figure out this situation with Blondie. That'll be awkward as hell for a long ass time."

"Well… I guess this is goodbye."

"Like hell it is. This is see you later." I smiled. It was forced, but convincingly sincere as well. "Were Shepard and William. The dynamic duo. Best of the best because we watch each other's backs. We'll be kicking ass throughout the galaxy in no time, I guarantee it."

"Ha. Burn the galaxy to the ground or die trying?"

"Damn straight. See you 'round the galaxy Cass."

"Stay safe Will."

And with that, the image of my now ex-girlfriend disappeared.

* * *

"Will? How'd it go?" Yang asked as Sparky and I walked into her 'office away from home.'

"Well, apart from the heart-wrenching pain and mandatory three month rejection list, a hell of a lot better than I thought it would." I answered, taking a seat. Sparky crawled under the chair's legs and laid down, seemingly going straight to sleep. "Doctors forcing her to date others as a way to speed up the process and ease the whole 'I miss you' feelings that I caused, and she told me to do the same."

"She gave you a hall pass?"

"No, because we're not dating anymore. Remember how I said if anything got in the way of our duty, we'd break it off? This is kind of in the way."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. She and I knew it was likely to happen. Shit, I'd figured we'd never see each other again after basic, but that's clearly changed." I let out a long sigh. "Anyway, I just want to get back to work. Keep my mind off this shit, because I know I'll over analyze it if I get too much free time."

"Well, Blake and I've been thinking about something. A sort of test, if you will."

"Was that a pun? Damnit that was a pun."

"I have no idea what you mean." She assured me, feigning innocence. "Now, do you want to hear this or not?"

"Will it hurt?"

"No, you won't get hurt by listing to me."

"For some reason, I disagree." I muttered. "Screw it, hit me."

"Well, You, Blake, and I are all from different realities. Where Blake and I come from, we have Aura, Grimm, and Faunus that make our world unique. In this reality, theirs aliens, Element Zero, and a giant cycle of death that occurs every fifty-thousand years." She explained.

"Ok? I already knew that."

"We were wondering what made YOUR world unique. Here, there's Biotics, in Remnant theirs Semblances, what did your Earth have?"

"Jack shit. Most we had was a shit ton of crazy, weird, and downright freaky stuff happening all the damn time, and most of it was unexplainable. Planes going missing, weird lights in the oceans, entire islands disappearing, strange lights in the sky, and scientists were left dumbfounded." I paused. "Now that I think about it, probably the weirdest thing was the fact that all of our games and shows ended up being real, just in a different universe."

"That's what Blake and I thought." Yang agreed. "We're both in agreement that your Earth is like a hub reality. It can see into any reality it wants, but no one is the wiser since it's all portrayed as fiction."

"That makes sense, but why does that matter? And what's this test you were talking about?"

"Well, you said that Death gave you your biotics, but what if he actually didn't?" Yang explained. "What if he just acted like it was him, and your body was able to rapidly adapt to it?"

"That… doesn't make any sense."

"Think about it! Your Earth can see into any reality it wants, but only as a form of fiction. What if that means your bodies, should they end up in one of those realties, is able to adapt that reality?"

"Ok, this is all speculation." I sighed. "There's no way to prove it."

"That's where you're wrong."

"Say what?"

"You're body adapted to this reality, but I'm not from here either." She said with a smile. "Where I'm from, everyone has an Aura and a Semblance, and that's holding true here, with limitations, in the forms of me and Blake."

"Blake and I."

"Whatever." She huffed. "Point is, it's possible for someone with an unlocked Aura to unlock someone else's Aura."

My eyes widened as I figured out where she was going with this. "So you want to try and unlock MY Aura to see if your right. I like it! There's just one problem."

"Oh?"

"Your reality knew that everyone who had a soul had an Aura. So really, it'd make perfect sense for people from this reality to have an Aura as well." I explained this time. "We could pull anyone from the Rangers and tell them it's a meditative technique. And who knows if biotics would interfere with it?"

Yang just sat there in silence for a few minutes before flipping me off. "Damn it Will! I just want to see if this would work! I don't care about the science side of things!"

The palm of my hand quickly, and loudly, slammed into my face. I should have known Yang would just want to try something instead of thinking everything out. There were dozens of things that could completely screw this up. It might not work for biotics, or the opposite might be true, hell, it might be unique to just Remnant! This plan was absolutely-

"Besides, you'll probably heal faster like me."

-AMAZING! "Let's do it!"

"That's what I thought you'd say! Now, I've only done this once, so hold still." She told me as she stood from behind her desk. "Hopefully this will turn out better than last time."

I had stood up as well, but when I heard that I immediately became worried. "What do you mean last time? You told me this wouldn't hurt!"

"No, I told you listening to me wouldn't hurt." She smirked. "And that last time was because Ruby kept squirming around so it took an hour."

"Don't lie to me Xiao Long. Is. This. Going. To. Hurt."

"Maybeeee?" She shrugged. "It didn't hurt back in Remnant, so it shouldn't here."

"Real helpful." I sighed. "Fine, let's get this over with."

"That's the spirit!" She said, clapping her hands onto my shoulders. "Now, this kinda works like an Asari mind meld. Just close your eyes and clear your thoughts."

"I'm so giving you a black eye if I get hurt." I muttered before closing my eyes. Clearing my thoughts was easy, since I had done it earlier.

Honestly, I was surprised. Instead of some chant like what Pyrrha did for Jaune, there was just silence, quickly followed by a warm feeling spreading all over my body. Once it had spread all over, the warmth started moving inwards, slowly but steadily making its way to (for lack of a better word) core.

Then, when the warmth was halfway through its trip, a brilliant heat burst out from my core. It simmered for a brief second, as if it were taking in its surroundings for the first time, before racing out and meeting the warmth that had stopped moving inward. The two heats moved back and forth for a moment, as if testing each other, before merging. The intense heat from my core cooled down quite a bit, as the warmth heated up, but only slightly.

Then, the warmth slowly withdrew itself, almost as if it were reluctant to leave. My now cooled down heat seemed to follow it out, as if it were showing its new friend the way out. When the warmth finally withdrew completely, the heat warmed back up, but never returned to the intensity it was at the beginning. It felt as if it were hovering outside of me ever so slightly.

"Huh, silver."

I opened my eyes to see Yang, now much more closely than she was before, something I was alarmingly ok with. I just went through a breakup, and I didn't mind someone I thought had kissed me in my sleep being this close to me? She was just a breath away from me!

Wait, did she say silver?

"Huh?"

"Look at your skin." She said, pointing at my arm.

My eyes followed to where she was pointing and opened slightly in surprise. It honestly looked like my damn arm was glowing a dim silver. Almost immediately after I realized it, the dim light grew brighter, covering me almost completely in a metallic silver light.

"So… is color a big factor, or is it just cosmetic?"

"Mostly cosmetic. It's lots of people think it's supposed to be a reflection of your inner self, but there are lots of contradictions to that.." She explained. "Mine was yellow and fiery because of my personality, but it could also be because I like the color yellow. I got no clue why yours is silver."

"Eh, whatever. It looks badass." I frowned. "Well, as badass as a glorified grey can get, but its something. How do I use it?"

"I don't know, I only ever used mine for healing, which was automatic, and now it's tied into my biotics. Maybe toss a lift or something? See if it's like mine?"

"We really should have thought this through more." I sighed as I gave Yang a gentle push. I didn't know what to expect, but when my biotics flared up they shined a bright silver instead of the purple/blue they normally were. "Shit, how the hell am I going to explain this? It'll bring in all sorts of unwanted attention."

"We could probably pass it off as some technique I taught you in the training room." She suggested, putting her hand under her chin in thought. "Or we could create an incident. How do you feel about nuclear radiation?"

"Technique it is." I quickly told her while flipping her off with a small smile. "But if ANYONE questions me on it, I'm sending them to you."

"Yeah, that's real fair."

"I know right? Glad I thought of it."

A sudden crash made the two of us jump. My head whipped around, searching for the source of the noise, and found it in the form of a tipped over chair. The same one Sparky had been, and still was, sleeping under.

"Fucking killjoy." Sparky just whimpered in his sleep. "Oh, great! He responds even in his sleep! Hey Sparky, trip up Yang will ya?"

As if he felt the need to further prove he was superior to all other Varren, Sparky's biotics light up and Yang found her ass rapidly approaching the ground. Despite the commotion he had caused, Sparky just rolled onto his side and continued sleeping.

"I love that Varren." I beamed as I walked over and lightly shook Sparky. His eyes snapped open and jumped to his feet, almost as if he was never asleep in the first place. "You ready for bed bud?"

Sparky, to everyone's continued amazement, nodded his head eagerly.

"Well come on then. We've wasted enough of Yang's time."

"Not really." She admitted with a light groan as she got back up. "I was just playing minesweeper on the terminal."

"They still have that game?! I'm soooo downloading that to my tool tonight." I yawned as I reached the door. "Well goodnight blondie."

"Night Will."

Just as the door was about to close, I said one last thing to her. "Oh, and we need to talk about that kiss you gave me."

* * *

**A short chapter, I know, but between school, work, my birthday, and getting sucked into a stupid long story that I HAD to finish, I decided this one would be much shorter. Now, after this chapter, there's going to be several large time jumps, because were at 8 chapters and haven't gone over a year in the timeline. This is taking MUCH longer than I thought it would.**

**While I don't know how many chapters it'll be till the start of the first game, it shouldn't be many. I'd guess somewhere between 6-8, but that's subject to change if I feel like a scenario needs more than one chapter. These chapters are going to be key events, such as Ranger graduation, two military background missions, and some filler so things aren't jumping forward TOO quickly. Next chapter should be an actual Ranger mission, unless I decide to change things on the fly.**

**However, to compensate for the shorter chapter, I've left a present at the bottom of the story. While it's not going to be mentioned in the actually story around the time it happens, it will be brought up during the events of the first game. It'll be AFTER the review replies. Then after that is two codex entries, this time there on Aura and Semblance's since I threw them in and I feel like I should explain them to people who HAVENT watched RWBY.**

**ALSO, I want it to be know that when I write a story, I typically shoot for 9 to 10 thousand words total, but I do not include any codex entries or review replies in that. I only include the story, author notes, and any sneak peaks that are put in to make up for the shorter chapters.**

**Just an FYI.**

**Oh, and also, I made a change to the story. If anyone can find it, you get a cookie.**

* * *

**Review replies**

**Shugokage: **I'll take that as a complement!

**General-joseph-dickson: **Might be more than a bump now. Hehe.

**Tamagat: **Holy hell dude, four reviews on the same day? Thanks for the support!

**Mikle Silver: **I've gotten past that point so it's no longer an issue, but the problem was it was in the first game. There's lots of let's plays for ME 2 &amp; 3, but hardly any for the first.

**AlexisGrimm: **I like it better too, but I feel like people might get confused if others call her Cassie and Will calls her Cass. I don't know, maybe I'm just over thinking it. Regardless, thanks for the input!

**Cprime.3000: **Sparky is love, Sparky is life! It worked out perfectly since, when you think of the term Rangers in a fantasy element, they usually have some form of animal companion. I also may or may not (let's be honest, I totally am) be taking some liberties on how long Varren lifespans are. I think fifteen to twenty years is pretty fair for an average.

Good thing sparky is anything but average.

Blaze1992: No problem man, I respond to everyone's reviews so it wouldn't make sense if I ignored yours. Anyway, as for the whole multi-paring, it makes sense, but it feels like it'd be hell to write. Plus you got the whole 'kind of dating, but officially broke up' thing going on where Cass HAS to date others, and Yang may or may not have shown interest in Will. Then, to top it all off, Will has yet to meet the rest of the possible romantic interests, who may or may not end up with him.

So yeah, Multi-paring sounds great, but would be hell to write. You'll just have to wait and see like everyone else. He he he.

* * *

**Well, here's your look at something that'll never be in an actual chapter, but IS cannon to THIS story. There will probably be quite a few of these as time goes on, so enjoy!**

London was burning.

The Reapers were attacking earth in full force, and while the orbital defense platforms had taken more than their fair share of blood, they were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers the Reapers brought to the fight.

And for some reason, they were focusing a rather large portion of their attack on London. From the Reapers point of view it made sense. London not only contained several military bases and command posts, but it was also one of the last known locations of two of their high-priority targets: Commander William May and General Yang Rose.

The Reapers had reports of him traveling to New York, where Major Cassandra Shepard was detained, but William had a history of screwing with their plans, so they took no chances and hit both cities hard.

As it turned out, the reports were true. Will had taken a shuttle to New York to meet up with Shepard and get her to the Normandy, which had been in dry-dock for the past three months.

That left one target left, sitting in one of the few secure command bunkers remaining, alongside the remaining members of the British royal family.

"Let it never be said that I hate brittish accents." Yang muttered to herself as she strode into the command room, the Prince and Queen, the only remaining two members of the royal family, were quick on her heel. "ALRIGHT ASSHOLES, GIVE ME AN UPDATE! WHAT DO WE HAVE THAT THE REAPERS HAVENT TAKEN OUT YET?"

"Not sure yet mam. We've got dozens of reports streaming in, but most of them are getting cut off halfway through. What few bases we can contact are changing every minute." The Staff Lieutenant in charge reported. "We've ordered station Boulmer to send out as many surveillance drones as they could, but they're still in route. All stations in North Yorkshire are busy shuttling out as many civilians as they can."

"Get ahold of any base not prioritizing civilian evac and tell them to strap anyone who's passed basic flight training into the cockpit of the nearest bird so they can do their damned job! Set up a screen of fighters and provide cover for the civilian transports." Yang barked out to various communication specialists.

While Yang was busy getting as many civilians to safety while also trying to get a better view of what's going on, the young prince Arthur was anything but motionless. He was going from station to station, monitor to monitor, to both reassure the doubtlessly stressed out personnel managing them, but also to get a better read of the situation.

The prince, like many in the royal family's history, had a military service history. While the Alliance puts everyone through basic training, the prince's true forte wasn't on the battlefield, it was directing it from the sidelines.

Much like his ancestor from the twenty-first century, the prince had a few tours as a gunship pilot and gunner, but he excelled in a command role, leading any team he took charge of to victory with minimal losses.

Unlike his ancestor, he didn't make a career out of it. Instead he took two tours of duty before retiring and focusing on the more political aspects of being a prince, however he swears that his military training was the most help when he found himself dealing with power hungry politicians, and he made sure to stay up to date on anything that could give him an edge, whether it be in politics or in the defense of his country.

And as he passed one certain station, and idea came to mind.

"P-Prince Arthur! I-It's an honor sir!" the serviceman choked out in surprise when said prince placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Calm yourself. This battle will be lost if we lose our wits. Fear and stress are the enemy." The serviceman nodded before taking several deep breaths. "Good, now I need you to check something for me."

"Aye sir."

"Do we have any camera feeds from the city? We need eyes in London!" Yang asked, though from her tone it was more of a demand.

"Working on it!" Prince Arthur calmly replied before guiding the serviceman through a series of electronic backdoors that lead to London's street-camera system. The building that had housed the monitors and personnel assigned to watch them had been destroyed, but the servers were in the basement and had thankfully remained untouched.

"Were in!" The serviceman gleefully announced. "Pulling it up to the main monitors now!"

The Prince gave the serviceman a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before turning, his eyes meeting Yang's as she gave a quick smile and nod before returning to the task at hand.

The next twenty minutes were filled with less urgent shouting and more I'm-trying-to-be-heard shouting as the staff tried, and in many situations successfully, re-routed forces to evacuate and defend key areas. One of the most surprising routes had been-

"LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN!" A serviceman interrupted the prince's thoughts.

"FALLING DOWN?" The staff lieutenant questioned.

"FALLING DOWN!" The serviceman confirmed.

"London Bridge is falling down." The lieutenant muttered to himself, his voice laced with depression. The bridge had been one of the quickest routes to a still secure evac area. He looked up towards the queen. "My fair lady. We have to get you and the prince off world."

"I agree." Yang spoke up before the prince had any chance to say no. "I need to get off world as well. As much as I want to stay and fight, I can lead our forces better without the looming threat of a sudden Reaper landing."

"And do what, leave our people here to die?" a single, calm voice silenced the room. Queen Arturia, a woman who just recently passed her prime, still truly looked the part of royal ruler. For many years she was assumed mute or unwilling to speak, yet she looked right at home in the command bunker. "You know me better than that. I will not stand by and watch as Earth falls."

"Your majesty-"

"No, General Rose. I know you mean well, and I fully understand your reasons, but I will not budge on this point." She said as she reached into a hidden pocked in her dress, before pulling out, of all things, Admiral bars. She quickly attached them to points on her dress's shoulders that, once there, showed just how warped everyone's view of the Queen had been.

Her dress, while elegant, was essentially a flashy Alliance dress uniform. Many had noted the colors over the years and made the connection, but statements from the royal family merely passed it off as coincidence mixed with a healthy dose of patriotism. Now it was clear there was ulterior motives for the colors.

"After all," The aging woman said with a serene smile. "Someone has to stay and keep the men in line. Better me than some fresh lieutenant who just got out of Officer School. Now, General R-, no Yang, please escort my grandson off world. While he would do wonders for us here, the Royal family must live on."

The entire room stared in shocked silence. The admirals list was public and well known, and while there was indeed an Admiral Arturia, the lack of a posting lead many to believe it was simply an honorary title given to some retiree.

Yang, however, knew much more than the average serviceman and wasn't surprised at all. There was a reason why she had helped the queen turned admiral's security detail when the Reapers hit. "I'll get it done mam."

"If you're staying, take this." The prince said, pulling out his pistol. "If only to put my mind at ease."

To everyone's surprise, the queen only chuckled. "Come now Arthur, do you really take me as some defenseless old woman? I am more than capable of defending myself."

She then, in a movement that was clearly practiced, reached beneath her dress and pulled out her own pistol.

The prince just smiled and sighed, returning his pistol to his hip holster. "I truly shouldn't be surprised by your antics." He looked her in the eyes, losing all of the humor and calm that he'd been forcing to the surface. "Stay alive. Please."

"I'll do my best. Now get going." The queen turned admiral softly whispered into her grandson's ear as they shared their final hug. Both knew the chances of them seeing each other again were slim to none.

Then, the embrace was over, and the prince strode out of the room.

Yang walked up and grasped Artura's hand and flared her biotics. "Don't worry, I'll keep him alive."

The queen brought forth a savage smile and, again to everyone's surprise, flared her own biotics. "And I'll be damn sure to take out as many as I can down here. I wouldn't be a Six if I went out any way other than a blaze of biotic glory!"

"You'll never change." Yang smiled and gave her a pat on the back and walked out. "God save the queen."

"God save whatever ace you have up your sleeve." The queen quietly replied just before the door shut. "I know you wouldn't leave otherwise. Us sixes never pass up a good fight."

With that said, the queen reigned in what she considered the largest burst of emotions she'd let out in years and got to work. She had a duty to her country to protect its civilians at all cost, and she'd be damned if she failed.

* * *

**CODEX**

**AURA**

Aura is the manifestation of one's soul in the RWBY universe and can be used for a wide range of abilities. These abilities differ from person to person, and are dependent on a number of factors such as training, experience, and innate skill. According to scientists in the RWBY universe, any living being with a soul has an aura, however only Humans and Faunus are able to weaponize it for their own protection. This has proven to hold true in Will's universe, due to Yang unlocking his aura, which is an intense silver. It is currently unknown whether or not the residents of the ME universe are capable of using an aura, but it is assumed so.

There are many theories that attempt to explain an individual's aura color. Two of the most widely accepted theories are that the color reflects their inner self or personality, or that it has something to do with the person's semblance (See Codex entry: SEMBLANCE for more information.) There are, however, individuals whose aura color is simply their favorite color, and has nothing to do with their personality or Semblance.

Auras have many abilities in defense. A skilled aura user is able to create a barrier to help protect the user themselves, or their target. It is also possible to physically enhance their body, such as increasing agility to avoid being hit or strength to take more damage and continue fighting.

Likewise, a person can use their aura to attack, most commonly in the use of physical enhancements such as strength to deal more damage to a target, but in more skilled users, creating waves of force through a target, or in the projection of a Semblance.

The most notable ability of aura, other than a person's Semblance, is its healing factor. Anything from small scratches to broken bones and internal bleeding can be fixed by aura healing. Naturally, the more severe the injury, the longer it take to be healed, but broken bones are usually healed within a day or two (it should be noted that, despite being healed, repaired bones remain sore for up to a week and are much easier to re-break during this time.)

**SEMBLANCE**

A Semblance is the manifestation of one's innate and personal power as an ability unique to each individual, with effects varying greatly from user to user. The nature of one's Semblance is noted as representing an aspect of their character, but it has been known to either resemble the semblance of their parents, or be influenced by the person who helps unlock their aura. Sometimes both.

Semblance is a more tangible projection of one's Aura. Those that use their Semblance are able to manipulate certain physical phenomena according to the nature of their power. Overuse of one's semblance for prolonged periods of time may adversely affect its user at certain times, most commonly leaving the user feeling tired or drained.

Examples of Semblances follow: The ability to move at speeds so quick it seems as if the user can teleport, the creation of Glyphs with various effects, various forms of clone creation (each only able to be used for a short time before vanishing), and various forms of telekinesis.

Since their arrival in the ME universe, both Yang and Blake have been unable to properly use their Semblance, the former losing it completely and the latter having extreme difficulty in its usage. It is unknown what Will's Semblance is currently, if he will ever discover one, or if it was overridden by his biotics, the final theory being the most favored due to Will and Yang's biotic abilities in combination with Yang's loss of her Semblance.


End file.
